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Natural Resources and the Environment

Our vision

The section of Natural Resources and the Environment within the Ashley School of Global Development 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 community 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

image of patrick webb

News

Patrick Webb, renowned international scholar, to lead Ashley School
Patrick Webb, a globally influential scholar of nutrition, food and agriculture policy, and humanitarian assistance, will join Cornell July 1 as the inaugural executive director of the Ashley School of Global Development and the Environment in...
  • Ashley School of Global Development and the Environment
  • Global Development Section
  • Natural Resources and the Environment Section
Yuqing Chen, a doctoral student and the study’s first author, searches for and counts baby oysters attached to shells in trays in Yonkers, New York.

News

Farmed oysters may boost New York’s dwindling wild populations

A new study offers genetic evidence and proof that farmed eastern oysters are adding to and breeding with wild eastern oyster populations in the western and central Long Island Sound.

  • Ashley School of Global Development and the Environment
  • Natural Resources and the Environment Section
  • Biodiversity

News

2026 ASLO Conference

Senior Research Associate Jim Watkins and graduate student Kayden Nasworthy attended the annual conference of the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography in Montreal, Quebec from May 12-17. Watkins presented data on nearshore zooplankton...

  • Biological Field Station
  • Ashley School of Global Development and the Environment
  • Natural Resources and the Environment Section
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