York Lecturer Series

He headed a team of 13 economists and ecologists that gained international attention in 1997, when it published an article in Nature magazine estimating that earth's natural ecosystems provide $33 trillion in economic value annually. That is nearly twice the combined gross domestic product of the 194 nations in the world.

The team calculated this number by estimating the value that natural systems deliver in providing fresh water, regulating climate, pollinating crops, controlling pests, and performing other natural processes.

The group proposed shifting taxes to activities that use up nature's capital such as wetlands and away from activities that government wants to encourage, such as performing labor and producing income. This approach is already popular in Sweden, where a tax on sulfur dioxide emissions works better than regulation of the pollutant would, Costanza said.

Costanza got a first-hand look at how Sweden protects its environment when he was a research program director for the Beijer International Institute of Ecological Economics at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences from 1992 through 1994. He also spent a sabbatical year in Sweden in 1995.

Costanza also helped develop a computer model that the South Florida Water Management District is using to compare options for restoring the Everglades. The model enables officials, business representatives, citizens, and other stakeholders to consider the impact of policy changes they advocate. Getting all the stakeholders involved in considering options improves the chances of reaching consensus on new policies, Costanza said.

He helped create a similar computer model in the Patuxent River Watershed in Maryland. His work is being cited as policies regarding the watershed are being discussed.

Costanza's current work with computer models stems from work he did in Louisiana in the 1980s. The knowledge he gained in Louisiana put him in a good position to become a leader in developing more impressive computer models as databases of natural areas grew and computers became more powerful.

Costanza credits the University of Florida for supporting his early interest in interdisciplinary research. That commitment enabled him to move smoothly into systems ecology for his doctoral work, which he completed in 1979, after receiving a bachelor's degree in architecture in 1973 and a master's degree in architecture and urban and regional planning in 1974.

Costanza has published more than 200 journal articles and book chapters and 12 books. He has presented more than 200 invited seminars and lectures.

His work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the US Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Ford and MacArthur Foundations.

Costanza received the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Society for Conservation Biology and the Outstanding Publication Award from the National Wildlife Federation. He also was selected as a Pew Scholar in conservation and the environment.

He is married to Marjan van den Belt, a native of the Netherlands, who is president of her own environmental consulting firm.

-Biography Originally Compiled June 8, 1998