April 8, 2025 Program Lead Dr. Kwan-Lamar Blount-Hill is helping change the way conservation is done from the inside out. His two recent publications, both in Conservation Biology, take a hard look at how the field of conservation science can evolve to better reflect and support the diverse communities it serves.

February 18, 2025 Dr. Leah Gerber, Dr. Gwen Iacona, and 2 graduate students published an article advancing CBO’s work in understanding the relationship between the costs and outcomes of conservation interventions to increase efficiency. By synthesizing data in a consistent manner across different interventions, the results help conservation managers to identify ways to minimize cost, justify budgets, and compare strategies over time to make better decisions.

February 3, 2025 Using case studies in the Galápagos National Park, this handbook, authored by CBO students and faculty, aims to help environmental managers refine management objectives and apply data analyses to inform adaptive management and decision-making. The handbook (available in English and Spanish) outlines the application of structured decision-making (SDM) as a rigorous foundation for evaluating decisions in a transparent manner.

January 23, 2025 Dr. Leah Gerber gave a talk at the Oxford Martin School describing a theory of change for addressing the biodiversity crisis by integrating innovation with boundary-spanning work. She also discussed ways to bring biodiversity into global decision making and to establish a replicable model for effective conservation.

October 24-25, 2024 Director Leah Gerber spoke at COP16 and Bloom 24 on the positive impact of mindfulness when addressing urgent ecological crises, delved into the synergies between government initiatives and corporate strategies for biodiversity, and shared examples of stakeholder engagement and social outcomes that balance local and global biodiversity goals.

October 18, 2024 Listen to this engaging conversation between an ASU sustainability student and Dr. Leah Gerber, an expert in conservation science, as they share what motivates them and brings them hope. Whether you’re a global citizen or a sustainability advocate, this discussion will help you navigate the emotions surrounding climate change.

July 4, 2024 There are important roles for scientists and scholars to play in addressing wicked problems—but for many experts based at universities, the system doesn’t reward their engagement.

June 27, 2024 Program Lead Dr. Katie Cramer contributed to a recent publication which used structured decision-making to examine research priorities in historical ecology to advance conservation science in: (1) methods and concepts, (2) knowledge co-production and community engagement, (3) policy and management, and (4) climate change impacts.

June 13, 2024 Directors Dr. Leah Gerber and Dr. Gwen Iacona edited a special collection for PLOS Biology focused on the complex problem of translating conservation and biodiversity research from the field into the real world.

April 26, 2024 We celebrated a decade of success! Festivities included panel discussions surrounding our three research pillars. We wrapped up with deeper discussions on conservation efforts and plans for the next decade. Hear memories from past colleagues and collaborators, and from all our brilliant panelists

April 15, 2024 CBO Faculty Affiliate Dr. Jack Kittinger led a perspectives piece looking at the balance between marine protection and sustainable production in pelagic ecosystems, in light of rapid acceleration of the biodiversity and climate crises.

January 1, 2024 The CBO actionable science team wrote a chapter for the book From Purpose to Impact: The University and Business Partnership which describes a new tool for assessing diverse types of collaborations beyond the classic research and development partnership.