We Harness People Power to Restore Biodiversity
The Center for Engagement in Science and Nature at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology believes that it takes people connecting with nature to fuel the change needed to halt the biodiversity crisis, restore habitats, and promote well-being.
We develop ambitious and enduring programs and partnerships that support effective engagement-to-action initiatives on a global scale.
Strategic Initiatives
Lifelong LearningOur Center houses a vibrant team of educators, instructional designers, and communicators who transform data and media from all over the globe into high-quality educational experiences tailored to spark and grow interest in birds and nature.
- Participatory Science
Recognizing that there aren’t enough professional scientists to monitor birds and biodiversity at scale, we continually build and improve tools that help people across the globe to share data, then transform these crowd-sourced data into scientific insights.
- Bird-Friendly Action
We build programs to support bird-friendly action on the individual and community level and prioritize creative partnerships to support nature connection and habitat restoration in expansive and accessible ways across the Americas.
- Research
We harness ecological and social science to understand how we can engage more people in voicing support for birds and acting on their behalf. We also study the phenomenon of participatory science and the ecological insights that result from crowd-sourced data.
What Engagement Means to Us
At its heart, the work we do is never one-directional. It is collaborative, participatory, collective, and alive. The word “engagement” captures this synergistic dynamic better than terms like “outreach” or “education,” which don’t capture the critical contribution and investment of the communities we work with.
By striving for engagement, we build programs and platforms that meet people where they are and support them as they develop in their relationship with nature over time.
We see engagement as a dynamic process that we have much to learn about. How do people ‘spark’ connection with nature? How can we develop understanding? What drives different individuals to participate in an activity? What motivates people to take action to restore nature?
We work to achieve outcomes that knit together nature connection and science participation to build activated nature-friendly communities that work together to restore the wildlife and habitats on which we all depend.
Well-being through nature connection
Activated nature-friendly communities
Restored wildlife and habitats