A class stands along the edge of a stream in a wooded area of trees with green leaves and buds.

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

Wooden fence.

News

Migrations grants fund worldwide interdisciplinary projects
Funded projects this cycle reflect the Migrations initiative’s interdisciplinary priorities of racism, dispossession and migration in the United States and international, multispecies migration.
  • Lab of Ornithology
  • Department of Global Development
  • Natural Resources and the Environment
A tarantula

News

Rare, endangered insects illegally for sale online
A survey has found that endangered and threatened insects and spiders, as well as common species that provide valuable ecological services, can be easily purchased – without adequate oversight – through basic internet searches, according to a new Cornell study.
  • Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
  • Department of Entomology
  • Natural Resources and the Environment
Hasta plant

News

Grants aim to unite networks to increase impact
Three teams have been awarded Public Issue Network Grants, providing up to $30,000 in funding for each project over three years. The grants support faculty, staff, students, alumni and community partners as they weave broader, more effective networks of potential collaborators, coordinate resources and increase the impact of their work on a particular social issue.
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
  • Department of Global Development
  • Natural Resources and the Environment
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