AN ASSOCIATE professor from the University of the Philippines Diliman bagged the 2022 American Association of Geographers Meridian Book Award for Outstanding Scholarly Work in Geography.

Dr. Kristian Karlo Saguin of the UPD Department of Geography was recognized for his book titled “Urban Ecologies on the Edge: Making Manila’s Resource Frontier.”

The book was published by the University of California Press last year.

Citing AAG, the award is given annually to a book that significantly advances the science and art of geography.

“It was based primarily on my PhD dissertation research while I was affiliated with Texas A&M University but I also drew some material from both UP-funded (PhD Incentive Award) and personally funded research projects. The book employs both field research and historical approaches to political ecological questions of urban and peri-urban environmental change and draws from geographic approaches in urban, environmental, and agrarian studies,” Saguin said in an interview.

He expressed his gratitude for the recognition, noting that it is an important milestone for him as an academic and for Philippine geography.

This is the first time the prize has been awarded to a geographer based outside the US, Canada, and the UK.

“I am grateful for the support of my colleagues at Department of Geography and College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. I am also indebted to the many people, the editorial team at UC Press, all the research participants, those who provided research assistance at various stages of the project, friends, and family, who have made this book project possible,” Saguin said.