Research

The mission of the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory centers on interdisciplinary research in ecosystem science to improve our understanding of the complex interactions between humans, management activities, and ecosystems. Towards that goal, research programs have been developed that focus on the following strategic areas.

The African Ecosystems Program
Aims to improve the understanding and conservation of biodiversity, ecosystem services, and human well-being on the African continent through state of the art ecosystem and social science research, and develop solutions to environmental problems in which people are integral components of the landscape.

Program for Global Environmental Sustainability
Aims to provide feasible strategies to maintain or improve quality of life (access to clean water and air, adequate food and fiber, reduce risks from harmful invasive species and infectious diseases, and maintenance of soil fertility) while reducing human disruption of natural processes.

Program for Greenhouse Gas Mitigation through Natural Resource Management
The mission of this program is to facilitate the adoption of improved land management practices to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in an economically and environmentally sustainable fashion.

Rocky Mountain Environment and Society Program
The goals of this program are to understand and quantify the influence of natural and human-induced change on Rocky Mountain ecosystems from the mountains to the plains, to understand and quantify the influence of mountain ecological change on regional society and economics, to reach out to people from mountain regions around the world who are facing similar challenges, and to effectively communicate knowledge to decision-makers, managers, students, and the public.