Biodiversity, Conservation & Ecosystems

With an unparalleled network of environmental monitoring stations, research field sites and cyber infrastructure, UArizona pioneers fundamental and use-inspired ecosystem science to help save species and conserve the lands, forests and wildlife of the western U.S. and beyond.

Our research

Planting Forests and Why It Won't Solve Climate Change

Forests play a significant function in environmental change. The demolition and debasement of woods add to the issue through the arrival of CO2. Yet, the planting of new forests can help relieve environmental change by eliminating CO2 from the air. Joined with the sun’s energy, the captured carbon is changed over into trunks, branches, roots, and leaves through the cycle of photosynthesis.

How a rare squirrel could reveal changes in a forest ecosystem damaged by wildfire

There was a crunch with every step Melissa Merrick took as she veered farther off trail. She wasn't looking at the leaves littering the ground, but at the branches they fell from.

Center For Biological Diversity Sues To Protect Mount Graham Red Squirrel

The Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity has sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the endangered Mount Graham red squirrel.

How Hotter Weather, Drier Monsoon Seasons Affect Forests

Wildfires have burned more than 950,000 acres across Arizona so far this year, according to the State Department of Forestry and Fire Management.

Some tropical forests show surprising resilience as temperatures rise

Scientists are finding that some percentage of tropical forests may hold up under global warming—if they’re not cut down.
 

Tucson's Biosphere 2 reopens to visitors for walking tours

Visitors can once again roam the grounds of the UA’s Biosphere 2.

Learn about invasive grasses in webinar

Invasive Yellow Bluestem grass is becoming a problem for Arizona wildlife and livestock, as well native vegetation.

Jeri Wilcox with a backpacking pack on in a forest

How Jeri Wilcox's Passion for Sustainability Shapes Her UArizona Experience

Junior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Jeri Wilcox, tells us about her UArizona experience and her time as Co-Director for Students for Sustainability.

The U.S. border wall is tearing through wilderness, right under our noses

In Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona, you can find more than 30 species of cactus, including the saguaro, desert giants that tower over the landscape and live for centuries. Desert specialists like endangered Sonoran pronghorn and Sonoyta mud turtles thrive there on just a few inches of rain per year.