Many of the faculty members, post-doctoral fellows, and graduate students in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology have a deep and abiding interest in conservation and the environment. They have studied topics as varied as the impact of contemporary agriculture on pollination services, carbon sequestration and global climate change, conservation of endangered species, reserve selection and design, and the physiological effects of oil pollution on marine organisms. An overarching goal of conservation biology at Princeton is to relate research results directly to conservation problems, thereby making progress in both theory and practice. We accomplish this marriage of theory and practice by working directly with governmental and non-governmental organizations to solve conservation problems in many parts of the world.
Prospective students interested in conservation biology may wish to consult the web pages of the following faculty members:
Iain Couzin Consequences of anthropogenic habitat destruction/ modification on migration routes and species loss.
Andy Dobson The role of infectious diseases in the conservation of biodiversity; land-use issues and the exploitation of biological resources.
Lars Hedin Ecosystem nutrient cycles; forests in global biogeochemical cycles; sustainability of biogeochemical cycles; atmospheric deposition and acid rain; air-land-water linkages; riparian and wetland biogeochemistry.
Henry S. Horn Minimal descriptors and rhetoric for patterns and dynamics of landscape and biodiversity necessary for local conservation.
Simon Levin Causes and consequences of biodiversity loss; economic value of biodiversity; reserve design algorithms.
Steve Pacala Global climate change; biodiversity and ecosystem function; forest dynamics.
Daniel Rubenstein Studies the interaction between wildlife and livestock and works with pastoralist communities on sustainable landuse outside protected areas.
David Wilcove Conservation of endangered species; conservation planning and reserve management; keystone species.