Sustainable ebony production in the Congo Basin
Rainforests have long been recognized for their importance to the entire planet. They absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, something all animals need to survive. They are also home to…
Projects
Western Pond Turtle at-risk species assessment
The western pond turtle is California’s only native freshwater turtle. The turtle’s numbers have been declining due to urbanization, limited water availability, and competition or predation from invasive species —…
Assessing mechanisms that facilitate the success of the invasive brown alga, Sargassum horneri, and enhance community susceptibility to invasion
Awardee: Emily Ryznar, PhD Student in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Emily's research focuses on enhancing the understanding and early detection of the invasive marine alga, Sargassum horneri in Southern California through predictive modeling and experimentation.
Biodiversity of native species in Los Angeles
La Kretz Postdoc Dr. Joscha Beninde is conducting a comparative landscape genomics study to understand how species survive and thrive in urban environments.
Bruin Naturalists Club
The Bruin Naturalists Club is a student organization at UCLA dedicated to getting people outside to learn about and interact with nature. We organize hikes, camping trips, and outreach events…
California Ecosystem Futures: The Future of California Drought, Fire, and Forest Dieback
The Center for Climate Science is using climate, vegetation, and fire observations and models to answer critical questions for California's future: Under climate change, what will happen to forests? How will fire risk change? How will climate, forest, and fire changes interact with and exacerbate one another — and what can we do to prepare?
Characterizing lagoon biodiversity in southern California using environmental DNA
Awardee: Rachel Turba. Rachel is investigating shifts in community structure related to such impacts through exploration of environmental DNA from water samples and sediments from these lagoons, with the goal to address conservation efforts related to translocation of populations or local environment improvement.
Detection of incipient, invasive Ambrosia Beetles using species distribution models
Awardee: Monica Dimson, Ph.D. Student. Monica is interested in modeling the distribution of the invasive shot-hole borer (Euwallacea sp. nr.fornicatus), a beetle that threatens native trees, urban forests, and agricultural crops in California, in order to assess the utility of these models in conservation and planning.
Developing Genomic Resources to Inform Conservation and Management of the Tricolored Blackbird
Awardee: Kelly Barr, PhD Student. Kellys work surrounds using a massive genomic dataset to analyze these issues in Tricolored Blackbirds, a species that has undergone sharp declines and is under intense management throughout the state of California.
Does wrack of an invasive alga provide a similar resource subsidy as giant kelp for supporting key ecosystem functions on sandy beaches?
Awardee: Lauren Smith, PhD Student. Lauren is researching invasive Sargassum horneri found in southern California.
Fellowships
Fellowships are at the core of our center, and create pathways into leadership. Our fellows are provided with financial support and engage in research, mentorship, and outreach.
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…