Research
-
New global directory of reforestation organizations helps would-be donors maximize the impact of their philanthropy
Professor Karen Holl and Postdoctoral Researcher Spencer Schubert launched the directory in partnership with nonprofit environmental media organization Mongabay
-
Environmental studies professor wins grant to support community-engaged research on California watersheds
Hannah Waterhouse was awarded the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research’s New Innovator in Food & Agriculture Research Award for her research on soil health practices.
-
Birdwatching tourism is booming. Some countries are benefiting, while others are left behind
Birding tourism can support sustainable development and habitat conservation across the tropics, but only if countries can successfully attract birders. New research reveals what affects birdwatchers’ choice of destinations.
-
UC Santa Cruz and The Conservation Fund create a transformative collaboration to conserve regional habitat and pursue sustainable organic-farm expansion
The collaboration will advance the campus’s leadership in conservation, education, sustainability, and agroecology while preserving critical coastal landscapes and habitats for future generations
-
Research project shows how aquaculture, agriculture, and restoration can work together
UC Santa Cruz, Pie Ranch, and the Amah Mutsun Land Trust are collaborating to show how leftover water from aquaculture can be used to grow plants sustainably, including native varieties used for restoration efforts.
-
Drought’s limited effect on tropical-tree growth—but hotter planet threatens that resilience
Researchers worldwide contribute to largest collection of tropical tree-ring data to date
-
Innovative and artful rainwater harvesting nourishes gardens and hope
UC Santa Cruz cosmologist leads widely interdisciplinary project funded by the Center for Coastal Climate Resilience to turn urban runoff into low-cost irrigation
-
Planting seeds of change: Sheyna Burns reimagines agriculture practices
UCSC undergraduate researcher Sheyna Burns (Oakes ’26) is pioneering inclusive agricultural research and entrepreneurship through her campus-based Sankofa Sky Farm, developing a statewide food hub aimed at supporting more equitable farming, and more.
-
Colombia’s peatlands could be a crucial tool to fight climate change. But first we have to find them.
Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Scott Winton conducted three years of extensive fieldwork to develop the first data-driven map of both newly documented and predicted peatlands across Colombia’s eastern lowlands.
-
New study shows how microalgae could help advance sustainable trout farming
Researchers at UC Santa Cruz created a successful experimental aquaculture feed formulation for rainbow trout that fully replaces traditional fishmeal ingredients sourced from wild-caught fish with leftover marine microalgae from the human dietary supplement industry. Their findings support efforts to increase the variety and quality of fish-free feed options, so that aquaculture can expand food…
-
UC Santa Cruz AgTech Alliance launches to support interdisciplinary collaboration
Building on the long history of innovation in agriculture at the campus, the AgTech Alliance will support research, education, events, and workforce development related to advancing agricultural technology in order to create more formalized opportunities for collaboration within the university and beyond.
-
Imperial Valley’s lithium reserves could power a global energy transition. But will they also fuel local economies?
Professor Chris Benner’s latest book with coauthor Manuel Pastor, a professor at the University of Southern California, explores economic and environmental possibilities for a lithium boom in California’s Imperial Valley.