Colin Whitcomb Clark (18 June 1931 – 12 April 2024) was a Canadian mathematician and behavorial ecologist who contributed to the economics of natural resources. Clark specialized in

behavioral ecology Behavioral ecology, also spelled behavioural ecology, is the study of the evolutionary basis for animal behavior due to ecological pressures. Behavioral ecology emerged from ethology after Niko Tinbergen outlined four questions to address w ...

and the economics of natural resources, specifically, in the management of commercial fisheries. Clark was named a Fellow of the International Institute of Fisheries Economics & Trade (IIFET) in 2016 for his contributions to bioeconomics. Clark's impact upon fisheries economics through his scholarly work is encapsulated in ''Mathematical Bioeconomics: The Mathematics of Conservation,'' which is considered to be a classic contribution in environmental economic theory.

Background

Clark was born in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...

, Canada on 18 June 1931. He completed his PhD. in 1958 at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seat ...

. He was appointed to the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

's mathematics department in 1960, working on

partial differential equations In mathematics, a partial differential equation (PDE) is an equation which imposes relations between the various partial derivatives of a multivariable function. The function is often thought of as an "unknown" to be solved for, similarly to ...

spectral theory In mathematics, spectral theory is an inclusive term for theories extending the eigenvector and eigenvalue theory of a single square matrix to a much broader theory of the structure of operators in a variety of mathematical spaces. It is a result ...

, and

functional analysis Functional analysis is a branch of mathematical analysis, the core of which is formed by the study of vector spaces endowed with some kind of limit-related structure (e.g. inner product, norm, topology, etc.) and the linear functions defined ...

, before pivoting to

mathematical biology Mathematical and theoretical biology, or biomathematics, is a branch of biology which employs theoretical analysis, mathematical models and abstractions of the living organisms to investigate the principles that govern the structure, development a ...

. He married Janet Clark, with whom he had 3 children. As a result of his work in mathematical biology, he became a member of the Vancouver Natural History Society, and a prolific

birdwatcher Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, by ...

. He died on 12 April 2024, at the age of 92.

Honours and awards

*1997 Elected

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathematic ...

Books

* ''Math Overboard! (Basic Math for Adults): Part 2.'' 2013. Dog Ear Publishing. * ''Math Overboard! (Basic Math for Adults): Part 1.'' 2012. Dog Ear Publishing. * ''Mathematical Bioeconomics: The Mathematics of Conservation''. 3rd Edition. 2010. Wiley Interscience (New York, NY). * ''The Worldwide Crisis in Fisheries: Economic Models and Human Behaviour.'' 2006. Cambridge University Press (Cambridge, UK; New York, NY). * ''Dynamic State Variable Models in Ecology: Methods and Applications'' (with Marc Mangel). 2000. Oxford University Press (Oxford, UK: New York, NY). * ''Dynamic Models in Behavioral Ecology'' (with Marc Mangel). 1988. Princeton University Press (Princeton, NJ). * ''Natural Resource Economics: Notes and Problems'' (with Jon Conrad). 1997. Cambridge University Press (Cambridge, UK: New York, NY).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Colin W. 1931 births 2024 deaths Academic staff of the University of British Columbia Faculty of Science Behavioral ecology Canadian ecologists Canadian mathematicians Mathematical ecologists Fellows of the Royal Society