Ecology and Environmental Sustainability
Invigorate and protect healthy and sustainable ecosystems to better our world.
The climates and ecosystems of our world are experiencing rapid and unpredictable changes due to human modifications to the Earth’s ecosystems. Environmental conservation seeks to transform the way we view our relationship to the Earth both at the societal and individual levels.
At UMass Amherst, you’ll focus on various areas of interest including wildlife, fish, and conservation biology; forest resources and arboriculture; water, wetlands, and watersheds; environmental policy and human dimensions; and sustainable building systems.
Throughout your interdisciplinary studies, you’ll focus on the stewardship of healthy and sustainable ecosystems that provide important human and community benefits.
Explore our programs
Undergraduate
Featured faculty
Kristina Stinson
Associate Professor
Kristina Stinson is a graduate program director and an associate professor in the Department of Environmental Conservation.
In the news
Study Finds Plant Nurseries are Exacerbating the Climate-Driven Spread of 80% of Invasive Species
New research from the University of Massachusetts Amherst is the first to precisely map role of horticulture in spreading of Invasive Species
Ezra Markowitz and Co-Authors Help U.S. Government Understand How Climate Change Will Affect American Society
UMass Amherst’s Ezra Markowitz participated in the development of the federal government's fifth annual National Climate Assessment (NCA5).
Julie Brigham-Grette Argues that the Cryosphere is "Ground Zero" for Climate Change in New Op-ed
Brigham-Grette and her co-author highlight the importance of the cryosphere (Earth’s ice sheets, sea ice, permafrost, polar oceans, glaciers, and snow).