David William PEARCE [1941 – 2005]
With the sudden death of David Pearce in September 2005 the world of economics lost a pioneer in the field of environmental and biodiversity evaluation. His thesis that environmental services could, and should, be evaluated in economic terms at first was received somewhat sceptically but the power of the argument has grown progressively with time such that it is now firmly embedded in conservation planning and policy-making. Scott Barrett described David’s position very aptly: ‘‘To many people, the idea of pricing the environment seemed immoral. To Pearce, letting it be used free was worse’’ (Barrett, 2005). In short, his objective was to deploy economic testimony to conserve nature and the environment. David Pearce was an obvious person to invite to the editorial board of Biodiversity and Conservation and his response was immediate and enthusiastic, a reaction which epitomised his willingness to engage with a wide diversity of environmental issues, organisations and people. David rapidly became a valued board member of this journal, providing incisive, insightful and prompt advice to me, and encouraging comment for prospective authors. That environmental economics has become a major branch of economics and an everimportant element in conservation strategy is beyond question and will always be linked with David Pearce. However, his was a tempered view as the following admonishing comment makes clear: ‘‘Economists have come late to the biodiversity issue and this may have advantages in that, in the meantime, they have developed valuation and analytical techniques that are relevant to the biodiversity problem. But it has also had a cost because the chances of real insights into the rationale for biodiversity conservation have not been exploited. This remains one of the most important items on the biodiversity research agenda’’ (Pearce, 2004). David Pearce will be sadly missed at Biodiversity and Conservation, and for a wide and international community the loss of his keen intellect and the inspiration that he provided for his discipline is enormous. To his family and many friends and colleagues we offer sincere condolences.