We depend on nature for our wellbeing: nature provides us with goods and services as well as with aesthetic, spiritual, and recreational fulfillment. At the same time, humans change landscapes and overuse resources. Changes in land use, pollution, and climate change threaten wildlife globally. The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) estimates that one million species on land and below water are at risk. Extinction of this magnitude will greatly limit human wellbeing, particularly as environmental benefits and risks are not evenly distributed among populations. Among others, some examples include exclusion of native tribes from their land to toxic exposure in communities of color. (https://www.ipbes.net/ )
This challenge focuses on the relationship between nature, environmental justice, and human wellbeing. As a group, identify and research a specific problem related to this relationship, and make an innovative proposal to address it. Make sure to reach out to interested parties and integrate their points of view into your project.
Getting Started
Reference resources provide a starting point for your research projects.
Credo Reference
Credo Reference provides hundreds of encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri, and more in one place. Below is a sample of keyword searches in Credo Reference related to this topic.
Call Numbers and Subject Headings
You can use the list of call numbers and subject headings below as keyword searches in our catalog and databases, or you can go to these sections of the library to find books on these topics.
- GE1-350 Environmental sciences
- GF1-900 Human ecology. Anthropogeography.
- QH1-278.5 Natural History
- QH540-549.5 Ecology
Books
Books from Lane Library
All books in this list are located either in the Franzen Center on Floor 3A or are e-books.
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Biological extinction : new perspectives / QH78 .B56 2019
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Eden’s endemics : narratives of biodiversity on Earth and beyond / PN55 .C35 2020
- Strange natures : conservation in the era of synthetic biology / QH75 .R43 2021
- Wounded planet : how declining biodiversity endangers health and how bioethics can help / e-book
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Working on earth : class and environmental justice / e-book
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Environmental justice as social work practice / HV40 .E6685 2018
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Green gentrification : urban sustainability and the struggle for environmental justice / HT241 .G68 2017
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Failed promises : evaluating the federal government’s response to environmental justice / e-book
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Rethinking environmental justice in sustainable cities : insights from agent-based modeling / GE220.C36 2017
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Nature-friendly communities : habitat protection and land use / e-book
- Pragmatic justifications for the sustainable city / HT241.H65 2018
- The vanishing present: Wisconsin’s changing lands, waters, and wildlife / QH105.W6 V36 2008
Discovery Search: Search Lane Library’s books, ebooks, and articles in one place.
Books from other libraries
WorldCat: Search for books not available at Lane Library and borrow from other libraries for free through interlibrary loan.
Articles
Databases
The following databases are useful places to search for animal related articles. Contact a librarian if you would like more information on how to search for articles on your specific topic.
- Academic Search Complete: Wide range of academic disciplines, including for scholarly and popular journals.
- New York Times: Access to news and archival content from NY Times. If you run into a paywall, here is more information on how to sign up.
- ProQuest Research Library: Includes both popular and scholarly periodicals covering a variety of subjects, with over 3300 titles available in full text.
- ProQuest Social Science Journals: Social science topics.
Get articles from other libraries
If you cannot find a full-text version of the article you need, request it through interlibrary loan. Interlibrary loan is a free service that allows you to borrow books and articles from other libraries. Find answers to frequently asked questions about ILL here.
Government sources, Statistics, Websites
Government sources
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN): The IUCN is an international expert on conservation and conservation issues.
EPA’s Report on the Environment: The ROE compiles the most reliable indicators currently available to help answer 23 questions that EPA believes are of critical importance to its mission and the nation’s environment.
A Primer on Land Use in the United States: From the US Department of Agriculture
Highlighting U.S. Efforts to Combat the Biodiversity Crisis: From the U.S. Department of State
Statistics
- usa.gov : Portal to the websites of
- CIA World Factbook : Background information on each country in the world
- Gallup polls : Polls on a variety of topics by a trusted organization
- Proquest Statistical Abstract : Statistics from federal agencies
- World Almanac : Collection of statistics and rankings
