Conservation Science

A UC Santa Cruz program to nurture a diverse cadre of environmental conservation leaders will receive $2 million over four years from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, joining four other universities in the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program. “The conservation field needs greater diversity to become even more successful,” said Erika Zavaleta, UC Santa Cruz professor of environmental studies who conceived of the UCSC-based version of the conservation scholars program. Read more

Clemson scientists Rob Baldwin and Paul Leonard have recently published a research article that examines the existing distribution of conservation easements in the Appalachian Mountains.

Scientists and botanists are on a campaign to save seeds for future generations. As California and much of the West tries to recover from devastating wildfires, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden in Claremont is leading the way in harvesting with its “Seeds of Success” program. It centers around the belief that replanting seeds is crucial to the continued health of any ecosystem. ...

Last week in an obscure stone building in Hobart Tasmania, representatives from 24 nations plus the European Union, sat in stiff dark suits around a large table, making decisions that will determine the fate of one of our great global commons, the Southern Ocean.

The latest marine adventure by Greg MacGillivray, dean of Imax ocean films, celebrates the resurgence of a once-endangered mammal and showcases it in large-as-life action, among crystalline waters and psychedelic swells of krill. Immersive in ways that not many movies can claim, Humpback Whales is a prime example of the power of large-format documentaries to educate, delight and inspire. The first Imax starring vehicle for the titular cetaceans, it’s sure to have a long life at science centers and aquariums.

For the first time, and through the eyes of two special mountain lion families, the true nature of North America's big cat can finally be revealed. Set in Wyoming's spectacular Rocky Mountains, the dramatic story of two mothers struggling to raise their kittens is helping scientists rewrite our understanding of these elusive predators. This is mountain lions up-close, in-depth and more intimate than ever before. Read more

If outdoor learning were a religion, Erika Zavaleta would be among its foremost acolytes. An online ecology course, she realized, could attract students who would never consider taking a class requiring live field trips. By bringing field biology to a broader range of people, Zavaleta hopes the course will help broaden racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity in ecology and environmental studies. “I’m interested in making more ways for people to have an entry point to get interested in conservation, an internship at a reserve, or taking a class with a field component.”

Meredith Niles delivered the keynote "Unlocking behavior change in conservation" at the Conservation Coaches Network Rally 2015 in Spain in September. Read more

Countries are loosely interpreting the legal meaning of “rational use” of natural resources to escalate fishing efforts in Antarctic waters and hinder efforts to establish marine protected areas in the Southern Ocean, scientists and legal scholars say.