Arizona is blessed with a richness of natural resources in its forests, grasslands and desert landscapes interspersed with limited water resources. These lands and waters provide immense benefits to citizens for recreation, wildlife and fisheries, rangelands for wildlife and domestic animals, and many other wild land amenities necessary for a quality living experience. Over 85% of the land area in Arizona is under either public ownership or in Native American Tribal lands. The School of Natural Resources provides instruction, research and extension/outreach in a range of disciplines related to the conservation and management of these renewable natural resources.

The academic environment in the School allows students to integrate physical and biological sciences with socio-economic and political factors necessary for the conservation, protection and management of plant and animal species, biotic communities, ecosystems and landscapes. Academic programs provide undergraduate and graduate education that allows graduates to assume leadership positions in agencies and organizations that manage and administer natural resources in Arizona and the nation.

Research by School scientists provides the foundation of knowledge and management skills necessary to manage our valuable natural resources, with considerable integration of disciplinary resources within the University of Arizona and through cooperation with federal and state agencies and non-government organizations. Interdisciplinary research and education are facilitated by:

Advanced Resources Technology Laboratory (ART) - an interdisciplinary research group in the School that provides state-of-the-art tools in computer analysis and modeling, geographic information systems(GIS), remote sensing and artificial intelligence to assess and analyze the natural resource base of Arizona and other southwestern arid lands.

Cooperative Research Units housed in the School are federal cooperative research units of the USGS Sonoran Desert Field Station, the USGS AZ Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit, the USDA Forest Service, and the Social Sciences Institute of Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Desert Southwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (DSCESU) is a consortium of federal agencies, universities and non-governmental organizations in the Southwest Desert region (AZ, CA, NM, NV, and TX) hosted by the University of Arizona and the School. The partnership addresses research, educational and technical assistance needs for the management of federal lands.

The Center on Impacts of Urban Development in Southern Arizona's Desert Environment (CIUDAD) - a unique partnership of public and private institutions dedicated to advancing our understanding of how urbanization affects desert environments, how negative impacts of urban growth can be minimized and ecologically damaged areas can be restored.

AZ Cooperative Extension provides educational programs and technology transfer of information primarily concerned with management of rangelands, wildlife, fisheries and watersheds. Outreach is also provided in educational programs for youth in natural resources and environment.

School of Natural Resources
325 Biological Sciences East
The University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ 85721
phone: (520) 621-7255
fax: (520) 621-8801

© 2001 SRNR, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA. All Right reserved.