Professor David Keith joins Sir David Attenborough and Dr Jane Goodall as a recipient of the prestigious award, recognised for his work advancing a future where humanity and nature can thrive together.
UNSW Sydney's Professor David Keith has been awarded the 2025 International Cosmos Prize , one of the world's most esteemed honours in environmental and ecological research.
Awarded annually by the Expo '90 Foundation in Osaka, Japan, the recognition celebrates individuals whose work embodies the theme 'The harmonious coexistence of nature and humankind'. Winners are also awarded 40 million yen (approximately $400,000).
Prof. Keith's research includes the establishment of the International Union for Conservation of Nature ( IUCN ) Red List of Ecosystems, which is a global standard for assessing the risk of ecosystem collapse. He also led a major international collaboration to develop the world's first Global Ecosystem Typology - a framework for classifying, describing, conserving and restoring the world's ecosystems.
"I'm deeply honoured that the Expo '90 Foundation has recognised my research as contributing to a future where humanity and nature can thrive together. Understanding and valuing nature are inexorably intertwined. This interdependence is vital to the future of both the environment and humanity," Prof. Keith said.
Recipients of the Cosmos Prize include Sir David Attenborough, honoured in 2000 for his lifelong work in inspiring public understanding of the natural world, and Dr Jane Goodall, recognised in 2017 for her groundbreaking research on primates and advocacy for wildlife conservation.
I'm deeply honoured that the Expo '90 Foundation has recognised my research as contributing to a future where humanity and nature can thrive together.
UNSW Dean of Science Professor Sven Rogge congratulated Prof. Keith on his award.
"David's work exemplifies the power of science to shape a better future. His recent election to the Australian Academy of Science reflects his standing as a global leader in ecology, while his ARC Industry Laureate highlights his deep commitment to delivering conservation solutions at scale with partners," Prof. Rogge said.
"Prestigious honours such as the Eureka Prizes and recognition from the Ecological Society of Australia speak to the breadth of his impact. The International Cosmos Prize is a fitting tribute to a career dedicated to both scientific excellence and real-world outcomes."
A career devoted to understanding nature
It wasn't until early adulthood that Prof. Keith's path in nature became clear.
"I was 19 before I realised I could pursue a career in nature research," he said. "By 21, I was a tenured government research assistant in ecology."
Prof. Keith's early work at the New South Wales Herbarium led him into vegetation survey and mapping, and he recalls the importance of engaging local communities in conservation.
"Sharing our work with local communities and authorities supported multiple small advances in protection and sustainable management of remnant ecosystems in an era of rapidly intensifying land use."
After joining the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service as part of a small research team focused on conserving biodiversity, Prof. Keith moved into academia at UNSW.
His passion for learning drove him to research across all levels of ecological organisation, from populations and species to entire ecosystems.
"The concept of ecosystems emerged as a powerful means for both biodiversity conservation and sustaining human wellbeing," Prof. Keith said.
A breakthrough came when Prof. Keith and his collaborators developed the Red List of Ecosystems (RLE), endorsed by the World Conservation Congress in 2008 and later adopted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
"This approach enabled the relative risks to different types of ecosystems to be assessed, and the underlying causes to be diagnosed, informing risk reduction strategies and nature-based solutions."
The International Cosmos Prize is a fitting tribute to a career dedicated to both scientific excellence and real-world outcomes.
Prof. Keith led the development of the first Global Ecosystem Typology, which has been adopted by the United Nations and is being applied in Australia.
The typology defines the key features of 108 major ecosystem types throughout the oceans, freshwater and land, and describes the processes that sustain them as well as their global distributions. It encompasses ecosystems that are shaped by humans, such as croplands and dams, as well as forest wilderness, deserts, deep ocean trenches and even ecosystems buried below ground and beneath ice sheets.
The framework has been instrumental in formulating effective conservation strategies and is helping to maintain plant diversity in the face of increasing environmental change.
Today, more than 5000 ecosystems in over 100 countries have been assessed using Prof. Keith's tools.
"This lays the ground for arresting and reversing the accelerating diminution of nature and declining quality of human life," Prof. Keith said. "Ultimately, success depends on us as individuals, as cultures, businesses and institutions understanding and valuing nature in itself and for what it does, and can do, for us all."
International Cosmos Prize
The International Cosmos Prize is awarded for research that contributes to a significant understanding of the relationships among living organisms and the interdependence of life and the global environment.
The International Cosmos Prize Screening Committee of Experts met four times between April and June of 2025 to evaluate candidates for the prize, ultimately selecting Prof. Keith as this year's winner. The judges particularly pointed to Prof. Keith's work investigating the role of bushfires in maintaining Australia's ecosystem, concluding that his findings hold universal significance for our understanding of the relationship between wild vegetation and fires in regions prone to wildfires around the world. The International Cosmos Prize award ceremony is scheduled to take place in October in Osaka, Japan.
