Gretchen Daily is not your typical biologist, nor does she subscribe to typical conservationist lines. Instead, her astounding work, which has earned her the honour of the 2008 Sophie Prize, focuses on the bottom line: where conservational efforts can be the most economically profitable choices available. She's been compared to Rachel Carson, who had revolutionised the agricultural industry. Her scientific work not only presents the tremendous diversity and intrinsic value of ecosystems and species, but also monetises and quantifies such attributes for economic consideration.