The mission of the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory centers on interdisciplinary research in ecosystem science to improve our understanding of the complex interactions between humans, management activities, and ecosystems. Towards that goal, research programs have been developed that focus on the following strategic areas.
Aims to improve the understanding and conservation of biodiversity, ecosystem services, and human well-being on the African continent through state of the art ecosystem and social science research, and develop solutions to environmental problems in which people are integral components of the landscape.
Aims to provide feasible strategies to maintain or improve quality of life (access to clean water and air, adequate food and fiber, reduce risks from harmful invasive species and infectious diseases, and maintenance of soil fertility) while reducing human disruption of natural processes.
The mission of this program is to facilitate the adoption of improved land management practices to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in an economically and environmentally sustainable fashion.
The goals of this program are to understand and quantify the influence of natural and human-induced change on Rocky Mountain ecosystems from the mountains to the plains, to understand and quantify the influence of mountain ecological change on regional society and economics, to reach out to people from mountain regions around the world who are facing similar challenges, and to effectively communicate knowledge to decision-makers, managers, students, and the public.
EcoCore is one of the Specialized Core Facilities at Colorado State University, providing analytical, training and educational services related to ecology and ecosystem research to clients across several colleges at CSU, as well as local federal agencies and other universities and institutes. EcoCore is housed and managed by the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory (NREL), based in the Warner College of Natural Resources. .
The UV-B Monitoring and Research Program (UVMRP) is a data collection and research program of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), headquartered at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado.
The UVMRP supports two unique and complimentary program components: Integrated Agricultural Impact Assessment System and the UV-B Monitoring Network.