Natural Resources

UCCE's s Natural Resources Program provides research-based information, tools and training to serve as the basis for sound natural resource management in Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties.

Southern California's unique geography makes it an internationally recognized center for biological diversity. It contains a wide variety of significant natural habitats, from marine communities, coastal wetlands and beaches to trout streams, oak woodlands, chaparral, sage scrub, desert and mountain-top pine forests. These counties are also home to over 10 million people, about a third of all Californians - and along with them thrive urban ecosystems and forests. With demands of a growing human population, an increasing number of local species--more than any other region in the continental United States--are threatened or endangered.

UC Cooperative Extension advisors work closely with local, state and federal agencies and service providers, community organizations, educational institutions and interdisciplinary natural resource groups to plan and implement educational and applied research programs to improve resource management in Southern California.

Advisors

Dr. Beatriz Nobua-Behrmann, Urban Forestry and Natural Resources Advisor, is an expert in urban forest management and the management of invasive pests in urban forests and wildland/urban interface areas.

Dr. Luca Carmignani, Wildland-Urban Interface Fire Advisor, specializes in wildfire preparedness and community fire resilience.

Dr. Esther N. Lofton, Urban Watershed Resilience Advisor, is an expert in water resources engineering, focusing on drinking water and environmental quality, water use efficiency, and water supply security in urban and urban/agriculture interface areas.

Our natural resources team also includes Eliot Fruetel with the UC California Naturalist Program and Cynthia Chavez with Project Learning Tree. CalNat is designed to introduce Californians to the wonders of our unique ecology, instill a deep appreciation for the natural communities and inspire individuals to become stewards of their local resources. Project Learning Tree is an award-winning environmental education program for teachers and other educators working with youth from preschool through grade 12.