Center for Integrative Conservation Research at the University of Georgia

Yesterday was a meaningful day at the CICR Affiliate Meeting 🌿

We celebrated a leadership transition from Dr. Laura German to Dr. Elizabeth King, recognized the incredible achievements of our CICR faculty and ICON students, and came together to brainstorm ideas for our upcoming seminar series.

We are so grateful for a community that continues to grow, collaborate, and push integrative conservation forward!

Join us in celebrating ICON students Wezzdy del Toro Orozco (Forestry) and Matt Tatz (Ecology) on receiving the Center for Teaching and Learning’s Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award 🎉💯

We’re proud to see members of our community recognized for their excellence and dedication in the classroom. Congratulations on this well-deserved honor!

We are excited to see you at ICC today! We will have the scheduled posted here and on our story. See you soon!

Last week, the United States announced their intention to withdraw from the Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). This is disappointing for many across the biodiversity and conservation community. For more than a decade, U.S. scholars and communities have been key voices in IPBES reports and discussions, shaping how the world understands species decline, ecosystem services, and transformative change.

At the Center for Integrative Conservation Research, our mission continues unchanged.

We will continue to:
🌿 conduct rigorous, interdisciplinary research
🤝 collaborate with partners locally and globally
🌎 honor local knowledge systems and Indigenous sovereignty 
📣 translate findings into action-relevant tools and conversations

Biodiversity loss does not stop at national borders. Neither does our responsibility to understand it and to support solutions grounded in justice, science, and collaboration.

🎃 Join us this Friday from 3.30 PM onwards at the Geography rooftop for the ICSO General Assembly Meeting and Pumpkin Carving!

Kick off the season with good company and conversation! We’ll gather on the Geography rooftop for our fall General Assembly meeting and pumpkin carving. Remember to bring your pumpkin!

Come along and
* share your concerns
* get updates about ICON and ICSO
* find out what events, engagements, and opportunities are on the horizon
* carve pumpkins
* enjoy sunshine on a beautiful rooftop garden

We will be heading to Creature Comforts for the monthly ICON Happy Hour from 5-7 PM following this meeting.

Whether you are into gardens, connecting, and fun, or you would rather rage against the machine and have a cathartic 'stab' at pumpkin carving, we have something for you, so hope to see you this Friday!"

🎨 Artwork Spotlight 🎨

This beautiful piece was created by Aharna Sarkar (.painter) for the upcoming 2026 Integrative Conservation Conference (ICC), hosted by the Center for Integrative Conservation Research at the University of Georgia.

Reflecting this year’s theme, “Centering Community,” the artwork weaves together people, rivers, forests, cities, and mountains—reminding us that conservation is always a shared, interconnected story among human, more-than-human, and beyond-human communities.

Join us in Athens, Georgia (and online!) as we continue building spaces for dialogue across disciplines. Here, the sciences, humanities, and arts meet to imagine more inclusive futures for all forms of life.

🗓️ Call for submissions now open! See the link in our bio!

💡 We welcome sessions, talks, posters, and creative contributions that bridge fields and foster community-centered conservation.

Animals in Society: Online PhD course fall 2025
Deadline for applications: June 15, 2025.

--- Lecturers ---
- Kuai Shen, artist and transdisciplinary social scientist at Instituto de Ciências Sociais, University of Lisbon https://kuaishen.tv/
- David Redmalm, sociologist at Mälardalen University
- More lecturers TBA

This course is an advanced introduction to the field of human-animal studies, with an emphasis on scholarship within the social sciences and the humanities. The course is free for PhD students worldwide. Participants who complete the course are awarded a certificate and 7,5 ECTS credits.

The course is organized by Mälardalen University, Sweden, and runs through the fall semester of 2024, between September 2, 2024, and January 19, 2025, with 1-2 online sessions per month.

HOW TO APPLY: Send an e-mail to course organizer [email protected]. Use the subject line “Animals in Society.” Attach the following two documents:

1. A letter where you briefly describe your educational background, and explain how the Animals in Society course will contribute to your PhD project (a maximum of one page).

2. A certificate of ongoing postgraduate studies as a PhD student: a letter from your department or a copy of your PhD student admission letter.

Applicants are admitted to the course on a first come, first serve basis, so don't wait! If you have any questions, e-mail [email protected].

🌟 CICR Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Deepak Mishra, Merle C. Prunty, Jr. Professor & Associate Head, Department of Geography, The University of Georgia; Director, Center for Geospatial Research.

We’re proud to spotlight Dr. Mishra, a leading voice in geospatial science and remote sensing innovation at . As Director of the Center for Geospatial Research, he is at the forefront of using remote sensing technologies to tackle some of the most pressing environmental challenges.

This summer, Dr. Mishra and his team are launching an exciting new project funded by NASA’s Carbon Monitoring System (CMS) Program. The project aims to develop high-resolution blue carbon products that will, for the first time, capture detailed spatial-scale dynamics across diverse tidal conditions and species in southeast U.S. tidal wetland ecosystems.

The goal? To enhance baseline carbon stock observations in small, fragmented marshes, and to support site-specific restoration efforts, engineering projects, and managed ecosystems. By leveraging freely available remote sensing tools, this open-science project will ensure reproducible research, with data and models shared openly with stakeholders and end-users.

This work directly addresses key knowledge gaps identified by the National Academy, helping to reduce uncertainty in blue carbon ecosystem stocks and fluxes—a vital step in our fight against climate change.

Join us in celebrating Dr. Mishra’s leadership and the incredible impact of his work on our environment and our future.

Learn more: https://geography.uga.edu/directory/people/deepak-r-mishra

Meet Shinyeong Park, a PhD candidate in the +Forestry program.

Her research explores human-wildlife coexistence near Korea’s DMZ, one of the most ecologically unique and politically sensitive areas in the world. She focuses on the supplemental feeding of endangered migratory cranes—a conservation practice that not only shapes ecological outcomes but also reflects complex human-animal relationships and political uncertainties in the region.

The DMZ and the surrounding Civilian Control Zone are critical wintering habitats for cranes, but ongoing tensions make long-term conservation a challenge. Through interviews, ecological experiments, and on-the-ground fieldwork, Shinyeong examines how feeding practices can evolve to support sustainable coexistence.

After a year in Korea—interviewing locals, tracking cranes, and sifting through thousands of wildlife camera images—Shinyeong is now writing a manuscript on the ethics of crane feeding and preparing to present at the IASNR conference this June.

She says, “It was a tough but invaluable experience. Even with limited time and funding, I gained insights that only come from being in the field and engaging directly with people and place.”

Stay tuned as Shinyeong continues to bridge science, ethics, and policy in one of the world’s most fascinating landscapes.


University of Georgia Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources UGA Research

Save the date for the upcoming PhD proposal defense by Nancee Uniyal, a doctoral student in the Integrative Conservation (ICON) and Geography at the University of Georgia.

Her proposal, titled “Investigating the Hydro-Social Cycle of the Ganga River Water Quality Through NASA Earth Observation, Community Perspectives, and Policy Insights,” explores the intersection of environmental science, community engagement, and policy in the context of one of the world’s most iconic river systems.

The defense will take place on Friday, May 16, at 10:00 AM in Room 147, Geography-Geology Building. Please scan the QR code to join over Zoom.

Nancee’s committee includes Drs. Deepak Mishra (Major Advisor), Marguerite Madden, Abhishek Kumar, Jesse Abrams (ICON Representative), and Kelly D. Alley (External Member).

All are welcome to attend and support Nancee’s important work!

Geography Department - University of Georgia UGA Research