In our new #CARDIMEDWomen series of interviews, we’re proud to feature Pilar Andrés, Senior Researcher at CREAF (Spain). Specializing in soil biodiversity and ecosystem services, Pilar has dedicated her career to advancing sustainability, climate resilience, and the practical application of Nature-Based Solutions. In this interview, she shares her journey into science, the challenges and opportunities for women in research and environmental innovation, and her vision for leveraging soils and ecosystems to build a more sustainable and resilient future.
PERSONAL & PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
Can you introduce yourself Pilar?
My name is Pilar Andrés and I am a soil scientist specializing in soil biodiversity and on the many the ecosystem services it provides, such as carbon sequestration, food production, and water cycle regulation. I have led numerous national projects on basic research into soil dynamics and how soil functions respond to different types and intensities of management. I have also led projects addressing the recycling of organic matter (e.g. urban sewage sludge, agricultural compost and biochar) in soils as a source of organic matter, in particular for the ecological restoration of degraded lands.
I frequently collaborate with the European Joint Research Centre and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to assess and publicise the state of soil biodiversity in Europe and worldwide. I also contribute to efforts to clearly define ‘soil health’ and standardise soil health indicators and associated monitoring systems. I also participate in European projects that exploit various tools, ranging from basic research to advisory services for the implementation of the Soil Carbon Farming Framework, with the aim of increasing soil carbon stocks to mitigate climate change and guarantee food security in Europe.
For many years, I have led coordinated European-Latin American actions aimed at strengthening the resilience of dry tropical regions to extreme climate events. These regions have been degraded by intensive and improper human exploitation, such as mining, urbanization, deforestation and cattle raising. This work has led me to my current position as chair of the Latin American and Caribbean Chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER).
Lately, I have been working closely with agricultural leaders who have adopted regenerative agriculture, supporting them in developing effective monitoring frameworks to recognize the ecosystem values achieved through this method of food cultivation. I feel increasingly satisfied that I have taken this path.
What inspired you to pursue a career in science, sustainability, or innovation?
In reality, I wanted to be a neurophysiologist, but I couldn’t bear the vivisection of animals or the manipulation of their brains in our practical classes in the fac. I therefore quit the ‘physiology, biochemistry and genetic’ branch, which included neurophysiology, and enrolled in the other two branches, ‘animal biology’ and ‘plant biology’, intending to devote myself to laboratory and field basic research. However, against my will, the start of my career coincided with Spain’s accession to the EU and the need to transpose its environmental regulations at national and regional levels. Consequently, I was compelled to combine my doctoral thesis on Mediterranean soil ecology with contracts with public administrations to develop land use planning projects and monitor and report the environmental quality of public works in execution. At the time, no one knew how to do this, including me (in fact, I participated later in creating the first Environmental Sciences degree in Spain). The difference is that I dared to do it. And here I am, almost 30 years later, balancing the creation of knowledge with its application in practice to promote sustainability.
How do you think your work contributes to climate resilience and sustainable water management?
This topic entered my career quite early during my time in local government. Over 25 years ago, while the term “NbS” wasn’t used yet, these approaches already existed. My political science education trained me to think holistically. Even if climate adaptation wasn’t as urgent then, I was committed to embedding sustainable resource use (land, water, energy) into the urban projects I managed or supported.
I always encouraged local governments to implement NbS, especially for managing stormwater and greening public spaces.
Although I do not work directly in water management, conserving and restoring soil quality, as well as cooperating in sustainable landscape planning and management, are fundamental to climate resilience and water management. Healthy soils regulate both the terrestrial water and carbon cycles. Appropriate agricultural management is essential to protect and restore soil, to ensure that both cycles function properly and guarantee the supply of healthy food for current and future generations. This is why I am so committed to supporting wise farmers.
WOMEN IN SCIENCE & INNOVATION
What challenges have you faced as a woman in this field, and how have you overcome them?
Well, professionally speaking, I am where I am because I am a woman. But let me explain. When my research center (CREAF, Barcelona, Spain) was established, I was one of the original researchers hired, and the only woman. The men were given research tasks, while I was given the practical work of providing solutions — the job that none of those promising men wanted. Back then, serious scientists didn’t get their hands dirty fixing (or preventing) disasters; they dreamed of publishing in respected scientific journals to climb the popularity rankings. Struggling with reality complicates things in this regard and all that effort seemed unworthy of their ambition.
I had to take on the challenge of working an extra seven hours every day, on top of my seven-hour workday, to earn a salary and pursue my passion for soil ecology by writing a thesis. I slept very little during those years, but it was worth it. In short, at that time, this was the professional version of “let the women wash the dishes.” But I was right to jump on that train. I’ve always been good at choosing trains.
On the other hand, given my tendency to take life lightly, I greatly enjoyed the crazy consequences of being a woman in a man’s world. I remember one day when I entered a conference room full of civil engineers as the guest speaker. One of them stopped me in the hallway and said, “Hey, sweetheart, bring us some coffee, will you?” He has not yet recovered from the shock and embarrassment.
If you ask me about my ‘female’ survival strategy, it’s a combination of a deep passion for nature (including humans), insatiable curiosity, a love of professional adventure and the ability to laugh at those who have tried to degrade or subjugate me professionally because of my gender. However, no woman should be expected to possess these characteristics; she should only be expected to be a good professional, as is the case with men.
What advice would you give to young women interested in working in sustainability, science, or innovation?
Don’t do this unless you’re really passionate about it. There’s too much work for the money you’ll earn.
If you’re sure this is what you want, then go for it! However, you will certainly need to consider your priorities. It’s a very demanding profession and balancing it with other aspects of life can often be challenging.
Then, when you are sure of your decision, go ahead and forget about your gender. I have never seen myself as either a woman or a man, but as a scientist. You will find a way to overcome any obstacles that arise along the way.
How can we encourage more women to take leadership roles in environmental and scientific projects?
I feel very comfortable at CARDIMED. Even though the IPs are all men, women are well represented and in charge of important sections of the project. I think this could encourage women to engage with challenges like this one.
It is important that EC projects require participating institutions and companies to guarantee equal employment rights for men and women, such as equal pay, working hours and promotion opportunities. We do not want companies that do not respect equal rights to send women to high-profile projects just to improve their corporate image.
Otherwise, don’t worry — we women know how to take care of ourselves.
VISION & FUTURE GOALS
What are your hopes for the future of NbS and climate adaptation in Europe and beyond?
NbS are being increasingly adopted in Europe because the cost-benefit ratio they provide compared to hard engineering solutions outweighs the risk that the measures may not work in environments not threatened by serious hydrogeological risks. They are also used in populated areas (preferably urban), where they improve citizens’ quality of life at lower energy costs than industrial solutions (e.g. green walls vs air conditioning). However, NbS that require actions on a large landscape scale, legislative changes or consequences for international markets (e.g. slope stabilization, land planning, land restoration and agricultural management) are much less widely accepted.
In brief, the urgency of applying NbS for climate adaptation is always affected by two factors: the perception that a risk may materialise in the form of a disaster, and how economic gains and losses from a potential disaster are shared between different social actors.
Technically speaking, the idea that NbS are only effective in preventing the destructive effects of low-intensity natural events is not entirely wrong, with grey solutions being much more reasonable in most cases. However, in other cases, this impression is false. NbS can be reliable, and we must acknowledge that we are not providing citizens with reliable data that demonstrates the effectiveness of green or grey NbS. To achieve this, we need to establish robust monitoring frameworks with reliable indicators. We also need to implement these frameworks and make the findings public.
For NbS to have a significant effect on global adaptation to climate change, they must be applicable on a large scale. This is where the desire for economic gain clashes with the right of the majority to be protected. As I mentioned earlier, this is the basis of the barriers encountered in applying territorial NBSs. In Spain, for example, regional governments are resisting the implementation of the Nature Restoration Law, which took considerable effort to include in European legislation. At the European level, there is opposition from some intensive agricultural associations (and their associated lobbies) to any political decision or NbS that would reduce the use of fertilisers in food production. Only a profound change in the voting population’s perception of their vulnerability to the effects of climate change can help reverse such policies. We must increase our efforts to convey our knowledge in a transparent yet solid and forceful manner.
How do you see the role of women evolving in science and environmental innovation?
I am sure that professional women in demanding roles, such as our own, have many opportunities to decide freely on their careers and position themselves as they see fit, despite the blackmail and threats they will undoubtedly face. To be honest, I am more concerned about cleaning ladies and supermarket cashiers in this regard.
If you could change one thing in the way we approach sustainability, what would it be?
Where the market rules, consumers have power. Only a change in consumer behavior can alter the course of the market, which is the real predator of our future as a society.
Difficult? Yes, but not impossible. Let’s start at home.
