FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ria Raut Named Recipient of 2026 Count of Krigsvold Fellowship
Peter I Island, Westarctica–The Count of Krigsvold, in partnership with the Grand Duchy of Westarctica, is pleased to announce that Ria Raut, a doctoral student in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at the University of California, Berkeley, has been selected as the recipient of the i 2026 Count of Krigsvold Fellowship.
Raut’s research investigates the drivers of sapling recruitment in undisturbed and selectively logged forests in Sabah, Borneo. Working across primary forest in the Danum Valley Conservation Area and regenerating secondary forest in the Ulu-Segama Forest Reserve, her project examines whether differences in seedling community composition between logged and unlogged stands are driven by biotic factors, such as adult tree species and mycorrhizal composition, or abiotic factors, such as soil biochemistry and canopy light availability. The findings will inform restoration strategies for one of the world’s most biodiverse and heavily pressured tropical ecosystems.
The Count of Krigsvold Fellowship awards $1,000 annually to support graduate research addressing critical issues in climate change and global conservation. Raut’s work reflects the Fellowship’s mission to advance field-based environmental science in regions where the stakes for biodiversity and climate resilience are highest.
For more information or to apply, please visit: https://www.westarctica.org/conservation-scholarship
| Media Contact | |
|---|---|
| Name | James Howard, Count of Krigsvold |
| count@krigsvold.org | |
| Website | https://krigsvold.org |