Ecosystems include the many processes of life that support and enrich humankind. These processes include interactions among organisms and species, the flow of energy and the cycling of matter, and the maintenance of diverse and complex communities of microbes, plants and animals.

Our responsibility is to understand the world’s ecosystems and the effect of human societies on ecosystem processes and their long-term sustainability. Research and education are central to that understanding, enhancing our ability to manage for the sustainability of ecosystems, societies and the biosphere.

Students will integrate the latest science into real-world decision-making and public policy, with the ultimate goal of managing our planet’s natural resources – the air, water, land and biological diversity upon which all life depends – sustainably into the future.  The Department currently offers comprehensive undergraduate and graduate programs in the discipline of watershed science and sustainability, as well as an undergraduate program in ecosystem science and sustainability.