Changing land-use practices, chronic extraction mismanagement, and urbanization are among the major pressures that threaten availability and equitable distribution of natural resources. Through collaborations with local organizations, community groups, and others, SFS students and faculty research diverse management approaches and their applicability in the context of our Center.
The astonishing biodiversity of Australia’s rainforests makes Queensland an extraordinary laboratory for students to study natural resource and water management. Students consider the role of catchments (watersheds), the effects of agricultural practices on water quality, riparian restoration, and connections between rainforest and reef. Management strategies developed here may serve as a model for conserving and restoring other rainforest landscapes around the world.
Over 60% of the Bhutanese population is still agrarian and relies directly on agriculture and natural resources. Sustainable natural resource management is therefore critical for achieving sustainable development goals of both Bhutan and the UN. Students learn about traditional and evolving natural resource management frameworks, conducting both social and biophysical research exercises on related issues and approaches.
Chile is fortunate to have a tremendously diverse set of natural resources. However, extraction of these resources, whether through mining or forestry, is expanding and not always in sustainable ways. We observe how natural assets are managed at the local level and understand how authorities protect wild places through protected areas and park management practices.
Though Costa Rica has a strong history of conservation and legal protection of natural resources, people’s health and livelihoods are being adversely affected by chronic mismanagement of resources, waste, and water. Finding long-term solutions in sustainable practices is imperative for Costa Rica’s future. Students study the process of rapid conversion of rural agricultural landscapes into urban areas, the consequent loss and fragmentation of forests, and the increasing demand for water.
The once-great glaciers of Kilimanjaro are waning causing disturbances to the Amboseli watershed – a region that supports large groups of wildlife and is home to Maasai pastoralists. Rivers and streams are becoming polluted due to herding waste and farming fertilizers and the hyper-extraction of water for irrigation disrupts the flow rates and predictability of water supplies. Climate fluctuations also influence water availability; unpredictable patterns of rain add stress to already vulnerable ecosystems. Students study the shifting approaches to sustainable natural resource management amid these changes.
The rich natural resources of the Amazon region, and their proper management, have supported human populations for millennia, including indigenous groups who still live in these forests. Today, increasing extractive activities threaten the unique ecosystems, habitats, and species through urban and peri-urban development, road installation, destructive logging, unregulated mining, and high-input agriculture. Students study the impacts of the rapidly changing demands on natural resources in order to help promote the sustainable management of the unique and globally important Amazon.
Permanent homesteads and extensive agriculture have exerted a great deal of pressure on the region’s natural resources, including water and wildlife populations. Students participate in evaluating and promoting the management of wildlife and other natural resources, which contributes to longstanding conservation efforts and helps to reduce conflict between humans and wildlife. Students visit Ngorongoro Conservation Area to learn about the role and challenges of the multiple-use conservation model, which includes communities in conservation and management of natural resources.