Amanda Rodewald
Garvin Professor, Natural Resources and the Environment
Senior Director of the Center for Avian Population Studies, Laboratory of Ornithology
Amanda D. Rodewald is the Garvin Professor and Senior Director of the Center for Avian Population Studies at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment at Cornell University. Prior to joining Cornell in 2013, she spent 13 years as a professor at Ohio State University. Dr. Rodewald received a B.S. in Wildlife Biology from University of Montana, a M.S. in Zoology from University of Arkansas, and a PhD in Ecology from Pennsylvania State University. Her interdisciplinary research integrates population, community, and landscape ecology with conservation biology and sustainability science, and uses community science, big data, and computational modeling to understand and address conservation challenges in temperate and tropical landscapes. At Cornell, Dr. Rodewald also serves on the Faculty Advisory Board of the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability.
Since 2000, Dr. Rodewald has generated more than $9 million in research funding and has published over 170 scientific papers, an Ornithology textbook, 10 book chapters, and over 60 popular articles and commentaries, including bimonthly pieces for The Hill, a news source for politicians and advisors on Capitol Hill. Dr. Rodewald is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the American Ornithological Society. She has previously served on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Science Advisory Board and Ecological Processes and Effects Committee, and she chaired the SAB panel reviewing the Waters of the US report. Her national leadership roles also include serving on the Scientific Review Committee of the National Socio-environmental Synthesis Center and the nominating committee of AAAS. She also has presented at Congressional briefings and hearings on legislative matters related to conservation and environmental protection. Dr. Rodewald aligns her research and outreach efforts in ways that support policy and management, and she regularly collaborates with and/or advises partners in government agencies, NGOs, and the private sector.
Education
- Ph.D. in Ecology, 2000. Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania.
- M.S. in Zoology, 1995. University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas.
- B.S. in Wildlife Biology, 1992. University of Montana, Missoula, Montana.
Recent Research
As an ecologist and conservation biologist, I seek to identify and understand the needs and threats facing ecosystems and species globally, the actions needed to ensure conservation, and the ways to work with people to achieve them. Because my work is motivated by a deep commitment to discover and innovate, move science into action and build capacity in others, I collaborate with a wide range of scientists, decision-makers, practitioners, and partners in public and private sectors to develop approaches that support people, biodiversity, and the environment.
My current projects focus on (1) responses of animal populations and ecological communities to changes in land use, climate, invasive species, and disturbance regimes, (2) social and ecological dynamics in cities, working landscapes, and biodiversity hotspots, (3) sustainable management of temperate and tropical forests and agroecosystems, (4) conservation planning and prioritization, and (5) innovative finance and incentives to promote conservation and alleviate poverty.
Awards & Honors
- Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science
- Honorary doctorate, Universidad Cientifica del Perú
- Fellow, American Ornithologists Union
- Fellow, CIC Academic Leadership Program
- International Fellow, Wall Institute for Advanced Studies, Univ. British Columbia
- Public Voices Fellow, The Op-Ed Project
Courses Taught
- Conservation Controversies – Graduate seminar (team-taught alternating years)
Contact Information
Cornell Lab, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road
Fernow Hall 103
Ithaca, NY 14853
arodewald [at] cornell.edu
Additional Links
Selected Publications
- Jones, T.M., J.D. Brawn, I.J. Ausprey, A.C. Vitz, A.D. Rodewald, D.W. Raybuck, T.J. Boves, C.J. Fiss, D.J. McNeil, S.H. Stoleson, J.L. Larkin, W.A. Cox, A.C. Schwarzer, N. Horsley, E.M. Trumbo, and M.P. Ward. 2020. Parental benefits and offspring costs reflect parent-offspring conflict over the age of fledging among songbirds. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
- Liang, Y., I. Rudik, E. Zou, A. Johnston, A.D. Rodewald, C.L. Kling. 2020. Conservation Co-benefits from air pollution regulation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
- Lin, H.Y., R. Schuster, S. Wilson, S.J. Cooke, A.D. Rodewald, and J.R. Bennett. 2020. Integrating season-specific needs of migratory and resident birds in conservation planning. Biological Conservation 252:108826.
- Sullivan, S.M.P., M. Rains, A.D. Rodewald, W.W. Buzbee, and A.D. Rosemond. 2020. Distorting science, putting water at risk. Science 369: 766-768.
- Rodewald, A.D., P. Arcese, J. Sarra, J. Tobin-de la Puente, J. Sayer, F. Hawkins, T. Martin, B. Guy, and K. Wachowicz. 2020. Innovative finance for conservation: roles for ecologists and practitioners. Ecological Society of America, Issues in Ecology.
- Swift, Rose. J., A.D. Rodewald, J. Johnson, B. Andres, and N. Senner. 2020. Seasonal survival and reversible state effects in a long-distance migratory shorebird. Journal of Animal Ecology. doi:10.1111/1365-2656.13246.
- McNeil, D.J., A.D. Rodewald, V. Ruiz-Gutierrez, K.E. Johnson, M. Strimas-Mackey, S. Petzinger, O.J. Robinson, G.E. Soto, A. A. Dhondt, and J. Larkin. 2020. Multi-scale drivers of restoration outcomes for an imperiled songbird. Restoration Ecology 28:880-891. doi: 10.1111/rec.13147
- Johnston, A., T. Auer, D. Fink, M. Strimas-Mackey, M. Iliff, K. Rosenberg, S. Brown, R. Lanctot, A.D. Rodewald, S. Kelling. 2020. Comparing abundance distributions and range maps in spatial conservation planning for migratory species. Ecological Applications 30:e02058. doi.org/10.1002/eap.2058
- Rodewald, A.D., M. Strimas-Mackey, R. Schuster, and P. Arcese. 2019. Tradeoffs in the value of biodiversity feature and cost data in conservation prioritization. Scientific Reports 9: article 15921
- Martell J.E.M. and A.D. Rodewald. 2019. Frames, facts, and the science of communicating environmental crises. Conservation Biology. DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13424
- Wilson, S., R. Schuster, A.D. Rodewald, J.R. Bennett, A.C. Smith, LaSorte, F.A., Verburg, P.H., and P. Arcese. 2019. Prioritize diversity or declining species? Trade-offs and synergies in spatial planning for the conservation of migratory birds in the face of land cover change. Biological Conservation 239:108285.
- Bennett, R.E., A.D. Rodewald, and K.V. Rosenberg. 2019. Overlooked sexual segregation of habitats exposes female migratory landbirds to threats. Biological Conservation 240:109266.
- Sullivan, S.M.P., M. Rains, and A.D. Rodewald. 2019. The proposed change to the definition of “waters of the United States” flouts sound science. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 116:11558-11561.
- Schuster, R., Wilson S., Rodewald, A. D., Arcese P., Fink, D., Auer, T., Bennett, J. R. 2019. Optimizing the conservation of migratory species over their full annual cycle. Nature Communications 10:1754. doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-09723-8
- Arcese, P. and A.D. Rodewald. 2019. Predictors and consequences of earthworm invasion in a coastal archipelago. Biological Invasions. doi.org/10.1007/s10530-019-01942-w
- Hernandez-Aguilera, J.N., J. Conrad, M. Gomez, and A.D. Rodewald. 2019. The economics and ecology of shade-grown coffee: A model to incentivize shade and bird conservation. Ecological Economics 159:110-121.
- Rodewald, A.D. and P. Arcese. 2017. Reproductive contributions of cardinals are consistent with a hypothesis of relaxed selection in urban landscapes. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. Volume 5: article 77. DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2017.00077
- Schuster, R., A.D. Rodewald, T.G. Martin,, K.A. Wilson,. E.A. Law, M. Watts , H.P. Possingham & P. Arcese. 2017. Tax-shifting and incentives for biodiversity conservation on private lands. Conservation Letters. DOI: 10.1111/conl.12377
- LaSorte, F., D.Fink, P.J. Blancher, A.D. Rodewald, V. Ruiz-Gutierrez, K.V. Rosenberg, W.M. Hochachka, P.H. Verburg, and S. Kelling. 2017. Global change and the distributional dynamics of migratory bird populations wintering in Central America. Global Change Biology. DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13794
- Rodewald, A.D., R.P. Rohr, M.A. Fortuna, and J. Bascompte. 2015. Does removal of invasives restore ecological networks? An experimental approach. Biological Invasions 17:2139-2146. DOI: 10.1007/s10530-015-0866-7
- Colorado, G. J. Z. and A. D. Rodewald. 2015. Assembly patterns of mixed-species flocks in the Andes. Journal of Animal Ecology 84: 386-395.
Amanda in the news
News
Cocaine trafficking harms the environment and threatens habitats important to dozens of species of migratory birds, according to a new study.
- Lab of Ornithology
- Environment
- Animals
News
More than 80% of global land area needed to maintain human well-being and meet biodiversity targets is at risk of conflict with human development, according to a new study led by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
- Animals
- Lab of Ornithology
- Nature