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Natural Resources and the Environment

Our vision

The Department of Natural Resources and the Environment is a world leader in scholarship addressing social and ecological dimensions of natural resources and the environment to improve environmental sustainability, promote the well-being of communities, and ensure access to sustainable energy and environmental resources.

What we work on

We create knowledge and facilitate learning to improve society’s stewardship of the environment and promote a conservation ethos for a sustainable planet.

People standing in a river spearing fish
Aquatic and Fisheries Ecology and Management
Three researchers with mountains in the background
Climate and Energy
A multi-plot garden with crops and shed in the foreground, with a blue sky and the tops of buildings of New York City off in the distance.
Conservation Social Sciences and Policy
Three researchers look into the distance through binoculars.
International Conservation
Three white terns fly in a group against a bright blue sky.
Terrestrial and Wildlife Ecology and Management

Commitment to diversity and inclusion

We are a diverse department of researchers, educators, students and staff that seek science-based solutions to environmental problems and sustainable natural resource management. In our research, teaching and outreach, we recognize that the acknowledgement and respect of all stakeholders’ perspectives is essential for achieving just and sustainable solutions to today’s environmental problems.

Read more about our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

News

A person in a forest with old trees and new plantings

News

More than maple: Cornell research designs sugarbush agroforestry systems
Virtually all of the world’s maple syrup is produced in Canada, the Northeast U.S. and some upper Midwestern U.S. states, where natural conditions for maple sugaring are perfect: wet summers, cold winters and springs with fluctuating...
  • Arnot Teaching and Research Forest
  • Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station
  • Natural Resources and the Environment
Bobcat with a tag on its ear sits under a tree.

News

Avian influenza discovered in NYS bobcats

Researchers tracked 16 live bobcats in the state and found widespread exposure to avian flu, with evidence of bobcats surviving but also succumbing to the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain.

  • Natural Resources and the Environment
  • Animals
  • Disease
Researchers install installed floating solar panels at the Cornell Experimental Pond Facility in 2023

News

Floating solar increases greenhouse gas emissions on small ponds

After installing floating solar panels on small ponds, researchers found that methane and carbon dioxide emissions increased by nearly 27% and dissolved oxygen substantially decreased.

  • Cornell Atkinson
  • Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
  • Natural Resources and the Environment
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