Boosting Biodiversity and Climate Resilience: Cornell Atkinson and The Nature Conservancy’s Impactful Awards

For over a decade, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability have worked together to transform scientific discoveries into real-world solutions. Recently, they announced six new projects that will receive funding to tackle pressing sustainability issues. These projects range from enhancing climate resilience in New York City through urban forestry to modernizing hydropower dams in the Balkans and safeguarding freshwater biodiversity in Eastern Africa.

Catherine Kling, a professor at Cornell and a collaborator with TNC, emphasized the value of their partnership. She stated, “This innovative approach is a modern way to apply university research for public good.” Their collaboration focuses on bridging the gap between scientific research and practical applications.

Since 2013, this partnership has supported 26 projects. They’ve worked on various themes, including making livestock production more sustainable and exploring the impacts of solar panels on water bodies. John Poulsen, TNC’s global director of science capacity, noted, “The environmental challenges we face are too big for any one group to handle alone. Collaboration is key to finding new and effective solutions.”

This year, the six funded projects are particularly noteworthy:

1. Modernizing Dams in the Balkans: Many aging hydropower plants lack modern environmental safeguards. This project will evaluate how to update these facilities to better protect biodiversity.

2. Ecosystem Services from Solar Facilities: At the Starfire Renewable Energy Center, researchers will study how to optimize plant life on former coal mining sites while building a solar energy project.

3. Tree Mortality in NYC: Using remote sensing, researchers will analyze tree health in New York City. This information will help in urban planning and improving both tree and public health.

4. Promoting Conservation Practices Among Farmers: Researchers aim to better understand farmers’ willingness to adopt practices that enhance water quality on their fields, especially in the Midwest.

5. Protecting Biodiversity in Lake Tanganyika: This project will utilize environmental DNA testing to survey aquatic species. The findings will aid conservation work in this vital ecosystem.

6. Understanding Protected Area Connectivity: This project will develop indicators to measure how well-connected protected areas are, aligning them with the UN’s biodiversity goals for 2030.

As we navigate ongoing environmental challenges, collaborations like this one highlight the necessity of innovative, cross-disciplinary solutions. The partnership’s next round of grant funding is already open for proposals, emphasizing the ongoing commitment to sustainability.

For more insights on sustainability efforts, you can visit the Cornell Atkinson Center’s website.

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