Today, we are pleased to announce that former United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Undersecretary Robert Bonnie will join the Stone Center as a Distinguished Scholar. In this role, Mr Bonnie will lead a new, collaborative initiative focused on improving federal conservation policy. Previously Mr. Bonnie served under both the Biden and Obama administrations at USDA, where he led conservation and climate change initiatives.
“Conservation in the US is at a critical juncture,” said former Undersecretary Bonnie. “To confront biodiversity loss, climate change, and water scarcity, we need new approaches that build bridges with agriculture, forestry, Tribes, states, and local communities. I look forward to leading this effort with UC Berkeley. With its deep bench of experts in science, technology, law, and policy, the University is uniquely positioned to address these challenges in a way that builds durable, bipartisan support for conservation.”
As a Stone Center Distinguished Scholar, Mr. Bonnie will lead a new initiative to develop effective, collaborative, and durable US conservation strategies with UC Berkeley faculty and students in the Rausser College of Natural Resources and the School of Law, as well as with faculty and experts from other institutions. Many bipartisan conservation advances in recent decades have produced multiple environmental benefits and garnered broad political support, and collaborative efforts between federal, state, Tribal, and local entities have restored degraded forests and rivers at scale. Building on these wins, Mr. Bonnie and partners will develop a conservation policy portfolio that builds a set of recommendations for federal policy that will address the conservation challenges we face, while building a broad bipartisan coalition that supports and propels it.
“Robert is a proven leader with deep experience in land conservation, and a track record working with diverse stakeholders and across party lines,” said Rausser College Dean David Ackerly. “We look forward to building on his decades of success in the field, and drawing upon leading environmental and policy experts at UC Berkeley and beyond, to support this initiative.”
The Stone Center, part of Rausser College, was established in 2023 to create positive, long-lasting outcomes for people and the planet. The Center helps foster collaborations between conservation policy experts, scientists, and landowners and leads cutting-edge research initiatives to protect migrating wildlife and biodiversity.
“The Stone Center is working to transform conservation science and policy, and to inspire a new path forward for US conservation,” said Stone Center Executive Director Dr. Madhavi Colton. “We are excited to engage Robert’s expertise to help improve and translate our research into on-the-ground collaborative action, policy, and management.”