LOS ANGELES, Jan. 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Evolutionary biologist Dr. Toby Kiers is receiving the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, considered the ‘Nobel Prize for Environment’, as her not-for-profit, the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN), launches a new program called “Underground Advocates” equipping scientists with legal tools to protect fungal biodiversity, the organizations announced today.
A world-renowned expert on mycorrhizal networks, Kiers is being awarded the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement for her “transformative” work, the Prize said.
In a coordinated announcement, SPUN today launched its first-ever Underground Advocates program. Developed with New York University (NYU) Law’s More-than-Human-Life (MOTH) Program, the initiative will equip scientists with legal and policy skills to document and protect mycorrhizal fungi in biodiversity hotspots across the Earth.
Born in New York, Kiers is using her Tyler Prize win to urge world leaders, governments, decision-makers, and the private sector to recognize fungi as a “library of solutions” for planetary crises by using the high-resolution digital Underground Atlas created by SPUN.
“With 90% of our most diverse underground fungal systems unprotected, urgent action is needed to incorporate fungal data into global conservation plans,” Kiers said. To achieve this, the new program will help local scientists and communities incorporate their findings into legal and policy channels.
“Toby’s work to translate scientific insight into real-world action, most recently with SPUN’s new Underground Advocates program, demonstrates her leadership in advancing global efforts to protect the fungal networks that sustain life on Earth,” said Rashid Sumaila, chair of the Tyler Prize Executive Committee.
Established in 1973, the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement has recognized many global environmental leaders, among them Jane Goodall, Michael Mann, and Gretchen Daily. The youngest female winner in the Prize’s history, Kiers will receive the US $250,000 award, which is administered by the University of Southern California, at a ceremony in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on April 23, 2026.
She is being honored for her “transformative research on the importance of mycorrhizal fungi in underground carbon flows, biodiversity, and climate resilience,” according to the official citation.
Fungi are critical to life on Earth. Long overlooked in conservation, they are key players in carbon sequestration, soil regeneration, and biodiversity. Left unprotected, scientists warn that ecosystems will collapse, climate change will intensify, and soils will deteriorate.
Kiers is an expert on how fungi, particularly mycorrhizal networks, function and interface with climate, soil health, and food systems. Her work, which combines science with cutting-edge technology and conservation efforts, has revealed that fungi help draw down ~13 billion tons of CO2—roughly one-third of global fossil fuel emissions.
Mapping biodiversity patterns of mycorrhizal fungi across the Earth’s underground ecosystems allows researchers to locate the most biodiverse sites on the planet, as well as those currently threatened.
“To better incorporate fungi in policy and legal frameworks, rigorous datasets are needed. The Underground Advocates program can help put fungal data into action, using the Atlas to pinpoint what will be lost if decision-makers do not protect underground ecosystems,” said Giuliana Furci, mycologist and foundress of Fungi Foundation.
The flagship program works with global conservation and research networks, amplifying their local efforts and enabling peer collaboration across continents.
“By bringing together science, law and local knowledge, this collaboration unleashes a powerful force for the protection of ecosystems around the world,” said César Rodríguez-Garavito, NYU Law Professor and director of MOTH.
The initiative is expected to generate at least five conservation initiatives led by underground advocates around the world.
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Tyler Prize media team: tylerprize@reagencylab.com
