Gretchen C. Daily
Tyler Prize Laureate 2020
Reimagining nature as essential capital for humanity’s future
Quick Facts
Born: October 19, 1964, Washington D.C., United States
Affiliation at the time of the award: Stanford University
Environmental achievement: Recognized for pioneering scientific research in ecology and conservation to understand the essential services ecosystems provide, and in enabling meaningful valuation of natural capital in decision-making.
Get to know Gretchen C. Daily
Changing the Way We Value Nature
Dr. Gretchen Daily has spent her career answering that question. A professor at Stanford University, she transformed global approaches to conservation by demonstrating that the benefits we receive from nature — clean air, fresh water, fertile soil — can be measured, mapped, and protected through smart policy and science.
Her groundbreaking work led to the creation of Countryside Biogeography, a new field that recognizes the ecological value of working landscapes, and the Natural Capital Project, a global partnership that helps leaders integrate ecosystem services into economic planning.
She also helped develop InVEST, a widely used software tool that quantifies nature’s benefits — making the invisible, visible.
Through science, fieldwork, and cross-sector collaboration, Gretchen Daily has redefined conservation not as a luxury, but a necessity — vital to human health, economic stability, and social equity.
From rural Colombia to corporate boardrooms, her work has changed how governments, communities, and businesses make decisions that affect ecosystems and the people who rely on them.
She remains a leading voice in planetary sustainability, working at the intersection of ecology, economics, and equity.
Celebrating a Visionary for People and Planet
Dr. Gretchen Daily received the 2020 Tyler Prize for her visionary work in aligning environmental protection with human prosperity. In 2020, as the world faced the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tyler Prize adapted to unprecedented global circumstances by holding its first-ever virtual award event.
To honor Dr. Gretchen Daily’s groundbreaking work the Prize hosted an online conversation titled: “The Value of Nature: Unwinding Economics’ Most Dismal Failure.”
This special Q&A event brought together Gretchen Daily, her co-recipient Pavan Sukhdev, and members of the public to explore Daily’s work on ecosystem services and natural capital — and how these concepts can help reframe our relationship with nature, especially during times of global crisis.
Though distanced by circumstance, the message was clear: valuing nature is more urgent than ever.
