In June 2018, de Waal was awarded the "NAT Award", recently established by the Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona. The award, which goes to people or institutions "that are referents for their way of viewing and explaining nature, whether because they have encouraged professional engagement in natural history disciplines or because they have contributed significantly to nature conservation", was awarded to de Waal "for his vision regarding the evolution of animal behaviour in establishing a parallel between primate and human behaviour in aspects such as politics, empathy, morality and justice." Alongside de Waal, broadcaster and naturalist David Attenborough was awarded an "Extraordinary Award for a Professional Career", and biologist and former director of the Barcelona Zoology Museum Roser Nos Ronchera was awarded a "Honorable Mention".