Recognized for her contribution to combating deforestation in the face of the climate emergency, Julia Shimbo, a researcher at IPAM (Amazon Environmental Research Institute) and coordinator of the MapBiomas network, won the Todas Award in the “Sustainability” category.
Created by the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper in partnership with the Alandar consultancy, the award honors the legacy of women who stand out in the areas of science, technology and clean energy. Through her work in data production, monitoring forestry activities, as well as land use, the advance of deforestation and agriculture, Shimbo highlights the relevance of women’s work to science.
“The participation of women in Brazilian science is fundamental, especially for applications and impacts on public policies in the conservation of the Amazon and the Cerrado, where they promote collaborations, multidisciplinarity and connections between the different sectors of society.”
The majority of IPAM’s staff is female – 58%. “This strengthens the diversity of perspectives that broaden scientific quality and highlights the leading role of women in building solutions,” says Shimbo.
The MapBiomas network, in which IPAM participates in the production of data and scientific knowledge, uses satellite images to develop historical accounts of land use.
The researcher says that making the data generated accessible to the public is essential for generating impacts from actions and solutions in favor of climate mitigation. In addition, it brings the democratization of technological tools to act as solutions for the most vulnerable populations, susceptible to the climate crisis.
“We always need to look for new ways of doing science and also of communicating science for the transformation of society,” adds Shimbo.