About CCB

The Center for Conservation Biology (the Center, or CCB) is a University of California Riverside (UCR) organized research unit sanctioned by the UCR Faculty Senate. Our mission is to assist in the conservation and restoration of species and ecosystems by leading the collection, evaluation, and dissemination of scientific information. We proactively identify new research priorities in conservation biology and inaugurate new research programs; and we also develop research programs in response to existing needs in conservation biology. We do not create policy but do generate objective scientific information that we work to be used by others in developing policy. Many activities of the Center are regional, centered on the diverse species and habitats that form the natural heritage of southern California, but other activities extend far beyond this regional focus. In conducting research, we also provide unique training opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students while also providing valuable outreach to key stakeholders and the public. By integrating biology, technology, and social science, we strive to build adaptive and science-based pathways toward a more sustainable future.

Our Mission

The Center for Conservation Biology (CCB) at UC Riverside advances ecological and conservation science through interdisciplinary research, stakeholder engagement, and hands-on training.

+ Proactively identify new research priorities in conservation biology and inaugurate new collaborative research programs.

+ Develop research programs in response to existing needs in conservation biology.

+ Assist in the conservation and restoration of species and ecosystems by facilitating the collection, evaluation and dissemination of scientific information while training the next generation of conservation scientists.

About Us

The Center for Conservation Biology (the Center, or CCB) is a University of California Riverside (UCR) organized research unit sanctioned by the UCR Faculty Senate. Our mission is to assist in the conservation and restoration of species and ecosystems by leading the collection, evaluation, and dissemination of scientific information. We proactively identify new research priorities in conservation biology and inaugurate new research programs; and we also develop research programs in response to existing needs in conservation biology. We do not create policy but do generate objective scientific information that we work to be used by others in developing policy. Many activities of the Center are regional, centered on the diverse species and habitats that form the natural heritage of southern California, but other activities extend far beyond this regional focus. In conducting research, we also provide unique training opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students while also providing valuable outreach to key stakeholders and the public. By integrating biology, technology, and social science, we strive to build adaptive and science-based pathways toward a more sustainable future.

The Center through its faculty, students, and research associates, engages in a wide variety of activities, including:

• Fostering research and student exchanges, consultations, and public service among faculty, visiting faculty, and scholars.
• Graduate training for the development of new scholars.
• Providing undergraduate opportunities in order to achieve a well-rounded understanding of conservation biology. 
• Supporting and expanding conservation biology related activities at the UCR main and Palm Desert campuses. 
• Maintaining and fostering ties with institutions of higher learning and research.
• Stimulating communication among and with scholars in other institutions interested in conservation biology.
• Disseminating knowledge through Center publications and presentations.

Director's Message 

September 20, 2025

Welcome to the Center for Conservation Biology. We are an interdisciplinary center that broadly addresses fundamental and solutions oriented conservation biology from organismal to landscape scales. We emphasize issues directed affecting the sustainability of southern California as well as having and international and global perspective. While we focus on threatened and endangered native ecosystems and species in terrestrial and aquatic habitats, we also study processes occurring in urban and agricultural centers. The wildland urban interface concept has emerged as a valuable framework too integrate our research across multiple dimensions of conservation.  In conducting our research, we look to build an interdisciplinary understanding of how we can conserve and sustain key biological systems in the face of multiple threats

In addition to cutting-edge research, we also value contributions to educational and service activities. As an inter-departmental unit we make invaluable contributions to graduate and undergraduate training that lies outside individual programs or disciplines. We have a lively graduate student and undergraduate student groups. We also provide valuable service through public engagement, hosting workshops, contributing to policy.

Our activities have a strong history at the University of California Riverside that we build on to continue advancing conservation needs. We were founded and ratified by the UCR Faculty Senate in 1997 with Professor Norm Ellstrand as Founding Director. He was followed by Professor Mike Allen, who led the center from 1999 to 2017. I am now the third Director and am continuously learning from these nearly three decades of ongoing success. Over this time, we have contributed to many improvements in conservation, from greatly reduced air pollution to enactment of multiple species habitat conservation plans. However, the threats to conservation have also accelerated, including rapid climate changes, ongoing development, and increasing numbers of invasive species. More than ever a center directed to conservation science and action is needed to help ensure the continued sustainability of southern California and the world.

We invite you to peruse our website for more information and reach out if you are interested in collaborating. We welcome engagement with diverse community members, land managers, and other academics.

Dr. Darrel Jenerette, Director Center for Conservation Biology