Aalayna Green
Visiting Instructor of Environmental Studies
Aalayna R. Green earned her B.S in zoology from Michigan State University. She is pursuing a Ph.D. in natural resources & the environment at Cornell University with a minor in feminist, gender, & sexuality studies. Green studies the systemic and social processes of conservation peacebuilding efforts within protected areas in Southern Africa and globally. She is particularly interested in the effects of these processes on security, governance, and advocacy.
Recent Courses Taught
Introduction to Environmental Studies
Environmental Justice
Research Interests
Environmental justice, conservation peacebuilding, protected areas, state-making and identity-making, militarized conservation, Black feminist political ecology, human-wildlife conflict, Southern Africa
Distinctions
- National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (2023–present)
- Cornell Sloan Graduate Diversity Fellowship (2021–present)
- Cornell Graduate School Dean's Scholar (2021–present)
- Survival International Human Rights & Environmental Justice Fellow (2024–2026)
- Hans Bethe House Graduate Resident Fellow (2023-2026)
- Outstanding Academic Achievement & Promise in Zoology Award, MSU (2021)
Selected Publications
- Green, A.R. "A critical environmental justice framework for the illegal wildlife trade." Frontiers in Conservation Science, 6 (2025)
- Keenan, O.J., Young, A.R., Kouklis, G., Brown, S., Green, A.R., et al. "Urban forestry practices to improve heat-related human health." Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 113 (2025)
- Green, A.R., Plowman, C., Mwinyihali, R., Wieland, M., & Gore, M.L. "Women and urban wildmeat trafficking in the Republic of Congo." Biological Conservation, 293 (2024)
- Green, A.R., Chakrabarti, S., et al. "Creating constellations of coexistence through connections between people in human-wildlife conflict areas." Conservation Biology, 38(6) (2024)
- Green, A.R., Anagnostou, M., Harris, N.C., & Allred, S.B. "Cool Cats & Communities: Exploring the Challenges and Successes of Community-Based Conservation for Felidae Species." Frontiers in Conservation Science, 4 (2023)
National Media
SciCom Articles
- Green, A.R. (2024). Op-Ed: Black lives matter in Africa’s national parks too. Environmental Health News. August 7, 2024.
- Ezell, J., & Green, A. R. (2023). Support for Israel or Palestine in the current conflict falls along racial lines | Guest Commentary. The Baltimore Sun. December 14, 2023.
- Green, A.R. (2021). Aalayna Green: Reclaiming My Time. MSU College of Natural Science: NatSci Profiles. February 25, 2021.
Podcasts
- Agents of Change in Environmental Justice: Aalayna Green on how race and gender intersect with conservation
- Crystals, Clits & Climate: S3E8: Intersectional Conservationism with Aalayna Green
- EarthEcho International: STEMExplore Virtual Career Connection - Conservation Criminology
- Breaking Green Ceilings: Episode 37: Investigating Gender Dimensions in Wildmeat Trafficking
- The SciFiles Podcast: Episode 13, Season 4: Aalayna Green about Gender Roles in Wildlife Crime
Article Features
- Greenfield, B. (2021). Why young people of color are leading the fight to save planet Earth. Yahoo!Life. April 21, 2021.
- Hernandez, B.A. (2021). Why do animators keep turning people of color into animals? Mic. March 10, 2021.
- Hui, K. (2021). What Will Earth Look Like in 2121? 10 Young Leaders Give Their Predictions. Inverse: Future Earth 2021. April 22, 2021.
- Ramirez, R. (2021). 30 Ways to Live More Sustainably - and Fight Climate Change in the Process. Self: Health. April 22, 2021.
- Drake, M. (2020). Black community members share how others can help in the fight against racism. Oakland Press. June 9, 2020
Professional Affiliations
American Association of Geographers
Society for the Study of Social Problems
Environmental Peacebuilding Association
Appointed to the Faculty
2026Educational Background
Ph.D. Candidate, Cornell University (anticipated Spring 2027)
B.S., Michigan State University
