Biotechnology for Conservation Success
In 2025, the UCLA La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science hosted its 14th Annual Public Lecture, marking fourteen years of connecting the public with the scientific research that shapes…
PROJECTS
The Endangered Species Act at 50
At the 13th annual Public Lecture hosted by the La Kretz Center, Drs. Cat Darst, Scott Morrison, and Brad Shaffer marked the 50th anniversary of the 1973 Endangered Species Act…
30 x 30: Conservation Science & Policy in Action
It was an honor to have guest lecturer Dr. Jennifer Norris at the 2023 UCLA La Kretz Center Public Lecture to speak about her work leading California’s 30×30 Initiative and…
Translating Conservation Science to Policy-Driven Outcomes
The event featured a presentation by Clark Stevens, Executive Director of the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains and the lead architect for the Highway 101 Liberty Canyon wildlife over-crossing, a project that has some of its origins in the work of John Benson, one of our first La Kretz postdocs
UCLA La Kretz 2021 Annual Lecture
This event celebrates ten years of conservation research, featuring 3 minute lightning talks by each of our 13 past, current, and future La Kretz postdoctoral fellows. The presentations are followed…
UCLA La Kretz Center 10th Annual Public Lecture: California on Fire
The UCLA La Kretz Center 10th Annual Public Lecture examined the impacts of wild fire on California conservation. Featuring preeminent ecologists Carla D’Antonio (UC Santa Barbara), Jon Keeley (US Geological…
Fossils as a Tool for Marine Restoration: Old Shells Provide New Insights For Santa Monica Bay
UCLA La Kretz Center’s 9th Annual Lecture One of the great challenges in conservation biology is discovering ‘what was natural’ before human impacts. This problem is especially pressing in marine…
Our National Parks at 100: Confronting Change & Committing to Science
Dr. Ray Sauvajot Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Director
Life in the L.A. River
With the imminent revitalization of the L.A. River, the city’s landscape is about to transform. But how will the restoration project impact life in and around the river?
Rethinking the value of nature from education to health
Dr. Heather Tallis, Global Managing Director and Lead Scientist for Strategy Innovation for The Nature Conservancy
Ghost dogs: Coyotes as top predators of the city
Dr. Stan Gehrt, Professor & Wildlife Extension Specialist at Ohio State University
Meow! A Cat Discussion
New studies indicate that cats have a negative impact on native biodiversity and are a threat to human health. So what’s a cat lover to do?
Biological invasions: What’s new, and why the controversy
Dr. Daniel Simberloff, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Tennessee
DamNation film screening and panel discussion
Embark on a film odyssey that explores the change in national attitude from pride in big dams as engineering wonders, to the growing awareness that our futures are bound to the life and health of our rivers. Includes a brief panel discussion, prior to the screening, moderated by scientist-turned-filmmaker Randy Olsen.
The global amphibian biodiversity crisis
Dr. David B. Wake, Emeritus Professor of Integrative Biology at the University of California at Berkeley
Marine protected areas: Reasons for hope
Dr. Sylvia Earle, former Chief Scientist at NOAA and National Geographic Explorer in Residence
California, conservation, and the globe: Why we need to close the culture gap and all become Mahbsters
Dr. Paul R. Ehrlich, Stanford University Bing Professor of Population Studies
Why conserving California’s biodiversity matters
Dr. Peter Raven, President Emeritus and former Director of the Missouri Botanical Garden