tree canopy

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

Three people in a boat with on holding up the albino shortnose sturgeon

News

Fish tagged 26 years ago recaptured during Hudson sturgeon count
Researchers conducting a population estimate of shortnose sturgeon in the Hudson River caught one on Nov. 19 that had been tagged 26 years ago, during the last such count.
  • Natural Resources and the Environment
  • Nature
  • Fish
A school of fish underwater

News

Tracking Disrupted Marine Life
Janelle Morano is tracking the movements of fish in response to sudden changes in marine ecosystems.
  • Natural Resources and the Environment
  • Environment
  • Climate
Students in a classroom.

News

In the virtual front row, Cornell students saw COP26 unfold
During the two weeks of the COP26 (Conference of the Parties) international climate change conference’s talks and negotiations, 45 undergraduate and graduate Cornell students plugged in from Ithaca through select channels, listened and held digital front row seats to environmental history.
  • Cornell Atkinson
  • Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
  • Natural Resources and the Environment
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