Climate action work earns global award

University of Auckland researcher Dr Gabriela Baron has won a global award for her work helping communities take action on climate change.

Baron, a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Engineering and Design, received a Universitas 21 Award for Climate Action in recognition of her participatory design methods that support environmental conservation around the world.

The work forms the basis of her upcoming book, Design for Environmental Conservation: A Toolkit that Enables Sustainable, Participatory, and Distributed Innovation.

The book draws on Baron’s global experience and outlines a five-phase methodology that allows multiple worldviews to co-exist when collaborating in conservation projects. Combining Western science approaches with Indigenous wisdom, lived experience and community insight, it offers practical tools and templates to support meaningful and sustainable environmental action. The toolkit is also being used to guide undergraduate and postgraduate student projects.

With over 15 years’ experience in design and sustainability, Baron’s work focuses on co-creation through a decolonial lens. She holds a degree in Industrial Design from Argentina, a specialised masters from Politécnico di Milano and a PhD in Environmental Engineering.

“I’m honoured to see Design for Conservation empowering communities globally. Design methods can bridge people and ecosystems, and this award inspires me to keep pushing for inclusive, resilient environmental futures,” says Baron.

Universitas 21 is a global network of leading universities across six continents that work together to share ideas and find solutions to shared challenges.

Explore the Design for Conservation toolkit.