Nathan Sayre

Nathan Sayre is a Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of California, Berkeley, where he researches environmental geography, political ecology, and rangeland management. His work critically examines how landscapes are governed, commodified, and studied, with a focus on the interplay between capital, state power, and scientific knowledge. He specializes in rangelands—covering 45% of Earth's land surface—using archival, ethnographic, and interdisciplinary methods to address conservation challenges and socio-ecological dynamics.

Education:

• Ph.D., University of Chicago (1999)

Research spans seven key areas: (1) Scale and political economy, exploring capitalism's spatial dynamics; (2) Historical critiques of environmental limits (e.g., carrying capacity); (3) Science and technology studies in rangeland science; (4) Historical-political ecology of North American landscapes; (5) Rangeland sustainability and marginality; (6) Community-based conservation; and (7) Cannabis legalization impacts. Current projects include California cannabis regulation effects, a food-environment textbook, and the 1861–65 California mega-flood/drought as a climate-political case study.

His publications demonstrate a consistent focus on rangeland socio-ecology, scale theory, and conservation governance, with recent work emphasizing climate adaptation, ecosystem services, and cannabis industrialization. Articles frequently integrate historical analysis with critiques of policy and scientific practice.

Awards:

• CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title Award (2017) for The Politics of Scale

He teaches courses including GEOG 130 (Food and the Environment), GEOG 203 (Nature and Culture), and GEOG 220 (Capital, Value, and Scale), emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to environmental issues. As part of UC Berkeley's Cannabis Research Center, he investigates rural impacts of cannabis legalization.