Environmental Conservation - PhD

Unrelenting increase in demand for commodities and services from ecosystems raises questions of limits and sustainability. The rapid human modification of Earth’s ecosystems is signaled by the unprecedented decline of thousands of plant and animal species, many of which have become extinct. Coupled with growing concerns about the consequences of global climate change on ecosystems, this biodiversity crisis has stimulated a great deal of interest in environmental conservation. The result has been increasing public involvement in the conservation planning and management process, increasing scrutiny of management decisions affecting natural resources and the environment on both private and public lands, and aggressive court challenges on the interpretation of existing legislative regulations affecting natural resources. At the same time, recent advances in technology have created an explosion in new quantitative approaches to the study and management of natural resources and the environment. Altogether, the study and management of natural resources and the environment has entered a period of unprecedented change. The Graduate Program in Environmental Conservation intends to play a significant role in this transformation.Recognizing the growing complexity of environmental conservation, the Program has evolved into a broad, multi-faceted degree program, with diverse opportunities for emphasizing the following concentrations with options for a thesis (research) or professional (non-thesis) degree in any of these areas.

• Wildlife, fish and conservation biology
• Forest resources and arboriculture
• Water, wetlands and watersheds
• Human dimensions and environmental policy
• Sustainable building systems

The Department offers MS and PhD programs for Environmental Conservation.