Dr Gregory M Thaler wins international Sprout award

Governing Body Fellow Dr Gregory M Thaler has been awarded the 2026 Harold & Margaret Sprout Award by the Environmental Studies Section of the International Studies Association (ISA) for his book Saving a Rainforest and Losing the World: Conservation and Displacement in the Global Tropics.

Established in 1972, the Sprout Award is presented annually to the best book in environmental studies. Previous recipients include landmark works such as Elinor Ostrom’s Governing the Commons and Rob Nixon’s Slow Violence.

The award was presented on 24 March 2026 at the ISA Annual Convention in Columbus, Ohio, USA.

Published by Yale University Press in 2024, Saving a Rainforest and Losing the World draws on six years of research across agrarian frontiers in Indonesia, Brazil and Bolivia. The book examines the concept of ‘land sparing’, which suggests that agricultural intensification can reduce pressure on forests. Thaler challenges this idea, arguing that apparent conservation successes often rely on the displacement of deforestation to new regions.

Dr Thaler said: ‘I’m thrilled at this recognition for Saving a Rainforest and Losing the World. In a time of accelerating ecocide, I hope this book can be a resource for those seeking to understand why forests are being destroyed for profit and how we can move beyond false solutions to build meaningful alternatives.’