Natural Resource Management

Humans have not yet released a genetically engineered plant that is intended to spread and persist in an unmanaged environment. Biotech trees – genetically engineered or gene-edited – offer the possibility of releasing genetically engineered trees into forests to counter threats to forest health and represent a new frontier in biotechnology, writes Fellow Jason Delborne.

Switzer funds assisted the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) to create a new position for Fellow Nick Jensen as Southern California Conservation Analyst. Nick, a recent PhD graduate in botany from Claremont Graduate University, joined the organization to further his ambition of putting his botany expertise to applied use in an advocacy-oriented organization. After nearly a year in the new position, it is clear to Nick Jensen that effective conservation advocacy requires diverse networks, and that building these relationships takes time.&n

To fend off lawsuits over its plans to build a new city in the rugged countryside northwest of Los Angeles, Tejon Ranch Co. made a landmark concession to environmentalists. It promised a decade ago to preserve 90% of its land — 240,000 acres — as an untouched ecological conservancy for public enjoyment through educational and research programs.

Dr. Nicole Gross-Camp, a visiting assistant professor of environmental science and sustainability at Allegheny College, has received a grant from the United Kingdom’s Darwin Initiative in conjunction with the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh in Scotland to make forest management sustainable in Tanzania.

Editor's note: The Climate Science Alliance was founded and is led by Fellow Amber Pairis. The Switzer Foundation provided foundational funding to create CSA with a Leadership Grant.

There’s room for Native ecological practices in California’s fire management – but we have work to do first, writes Fellow Chuck Striplen.

Scientists and environmental advocates are beginning to pay more attention to another area that is critical to protecting the climate: forests and other natural ecosystems, writes Fellow John J. Berger.

Ecosystems around the globe are resisting and adapting to human-induced change: infrastructure invades wild spaces, new species are introduced or disappear, and climate change continues to shape the natural world. A new paper from UC Berkeley scientists addresses an important resource management issue: the need to track environmental change while supporting healthy levels of adaptation.

Traditional Ecological Knowledge: Learning from Indigenous Practices for Environmental Sustainability A new book co-edited by Fellow Melissa K. Nelson and Daniel Shilling, published by Cambridge University Press