FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - One of the world’s foremost ecologists and tropical biologists will deliver a presentation at the University of Arkansas this week as part of the Winthrop Rockefeller distinguished lecture series.

Dr. Daniel Janzen, DiMaura chair of biology at the University of Pennsylvania, will present "Use it or Lose it: Biodiversity Conservation through Development in Costa Rica" at 2:30 p.m. Friday Oct. 15, in Giffels Auditorium. The lecture and following reception are free and open to the public.

"Dan Janzen is easily one of the most influential ecologists of the last 40 years," said Sydney Cameron, research associate professor in the UA entomology department. "His lecture offers a valuable opportunity for people to learn about the complexity of tropical environments and what we can do to preserve them."

For two decades, Janzen has conducted research in the tropical forests of Costa Rica. His novel approach of blending ecology with economy has revolutionized environmental conservation efforts and has earned him some of the most prestigious honors of the scientific community.

Among his many awards, Janzen counts the Swedish Royal Academy of Science’s Crafoord Prize, a MacArthur Foundation fellowship and the Kyoto Prize in Basic Science. In addition, he holds fellowship in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, acts as an appointed advisor to the Costa Rican government and is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Janzen’s biological research projects focus on the co-evolution of animals and plants within a given environment. For 20 years, that given environment has been Costa Rica’s Guanacaste Conservation Park.

In an attempt to inventory the immense biodiversity that can exist within a relatively small area, Janzen has established the most ambitious conservation effort ever undertaken.

The 427-square miles of Guanacaste Park have the potential to contain millions of never-before-seen plant, animal and insect species. Janzen - with help from Costa Rica’s National Biodiversity Institute - plans to count and catalog them all.

To accomplish this monumental feat, he has enlisted the help of many Costa Rican citizens - training them to identify native species and record their numbers. By involving ordinary people in the project, Janzen has proven that conservation efforts can be both environmentally and economically beneficial.

"Janzen asserts that many conservation efforts fail because they don’t take into account the needs of the people," said Jim Whitfield, associate professor of entomology. "You can’t preserve an environment through isolation without compromising the livelihood of the native population. He’s essentially inviting people back into the environment."

Other conservation efforts that boost the economy include ecotourism and the identification of plants and insects with medicinal value. The National Biodiversity Institute already has a contract with the U.S. drug company, Merck, which provides the project with more than $1 million in funding every year.

"Janzen’s work in Costa Rica has encompassed politics, medicine, culture, biology, law, economics and ecology," said Cameron. "We feel sure that his lecture will appeal to people on many different levels."

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