30 August 2013 Leading ecological economist appointed to Lincoln University

Prof Robert Costanza has been appointed as a Distinguished Visiting Professor to Lincoln University through his affiliation with the Bio-Protection Research Centre - a government-funded Centre of Research Excellence.

Prof Costanza is an internationally-renowned researcher in ecological economics. His research integrates nature’s benefits with human wellbeing to provide guidance on managing world resources for government policy-makers. He is an author on more than 500 scientific papers and 24 books. His seminal 1997 Nature paper on the value of the world’s ecosystem services is the second most highly cited article in ecology/environment research.

Lincoln University’s Vice-Chancellor, Dr Andrew West says, “We are delighted to formally recognise Prof Costanza’s long-standing relationship with Lincoln University. His expertise and extensive publication record in the field of ecosystem services is raising awareness of how countries can better manage their natural assets, and his contribution will reinforce the global  perspective of our own bioprotection research. ”

Prof Costanza’s research is influencing government policy worldwide and his research has guided the government of the State of Maryland’s adoption of the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI), rather than Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to measure their well-being.

He is currently Professor and Chair in Public Policy at The Australian National University, Canberra, and a Senior Fellow at the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) in Washington, DC, and at the Stockholm Resilience Center in Stockholm, Sweden.

As a Distinguished Visiting Professor he will spend two weeks each year in the Bio-Protection Research Centre, at Lincoln University and will engage with staff and students on ecosystem services and the sustainable intensification of agriculture.