Why do we study natural areas?
Through our research projects and partnerships, the Natural Areas Conservancy is gaining a better understanding of the value of urban natural areas, both in New York City and nationwide. We’re developing resources and tools that help advance the planning, restoration, and conservation of natural areas now and into the future.
From the cooling effects of trees to funding trends for natural areas, our research digs deep into the economic, public health, and other benefits of forests, wetlands, and grasslands. Our goal is to fill gaps in scientific knowledge about these critical areas, improve their care, and make the case for preserving them.
See Our ResearchWhat we study
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People -
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Governance
Recent publications
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Urban Ecology January 18, 2024 Protecting Urban Forested Natural Areas: Strategies for Conservation in Cities
This report summarizes the main threats to one type of urban natural area–forests–and the strategies cities use to minimize or negate these threats. Overall, this report shows that cities use various tactics such as ordinances, zoning, land acquisitions, and federal protections to preserve natural areas. The most successful approaches feature o...
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Urban Ecology November 18, 2023 Urban Forestry and Urban Greening: “Associations Between Recent Land Use History and Urban Forest Composition.” November, 2023.
More than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas. Sustaining healthy urban forests is increasingly relevant to this population given the wide range of economic, ecological, and social benefits that urban forests provide. Yet forests in cities grow in sites that are fragmented, with frequent disturbance, altered soils, and complex lan...
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Public Policy January 28, 2023 Funding Forested Natural Areas: Recent Trends in New York City
The Natural Areas Conservancy developed and implemented a study to gather data on fiscal year 2017–fiscal year 2020 funding and resources allocated for forested natural areas care in New York City. The NAC developed a questionnaire for NYC Parks Division of Forestry, Horticulture, and Natural Resources (FHNR, now NYC Parks Environment & Plann...
More about our recent work
How to Protect Forested Natural Areas in Cities
During our Forests in Cities annual workshop in Miami, we released a comprehensive report on land protections across the nation, featuring case studies from 10 cities in our network. The report summarizes the ...
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Our partners in environmental research
Recent collaborative work
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The Environment and Planning division at NYC Parks manages 12,000 acres of natural areas and is a foundational partner on many projects.
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Yale School of the Environment is a key academic collaborator on environmental data analysis and mapping projects.
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The City University of New York (CUNY) is the primary academic partner for our internship program, which recruits CUNY students to participate in our many research projects year-round.
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Our 21-city national Forest in Cities network comes together continuously, sharing first-hand urban forestry experience, contributing data and research, and developing a community of practice.
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We work closely with local nonprofits like the Central Park Conservancy, Prospect Park Alliance, Riverside Park Conservancy, Forest Park Trust, Van Cortlandt Park Alliance, and Seton Falls Preservation Coalition, among others.
From joint research projects to public programming, the NAC strives to work closely with these partners as well as other organizations focused on the preservation and management of natural areas.
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Explore our data sets
We're helping to ensure that researchers and practitioners have the information they need to make informed decisions about the care of natural areas.
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Start your career here
The NAC has seasonal and year-round internship opportunities that support both our independent and collaborative research and data analysis efforts.
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