<p>Ultimately, what I want to do is to study human effects on ecosystems and the earth system as a whole. I would also like to work in habitat protection and restoration.</p>
<p>After doing some research, it seems that what I want to do is more biology than geology, yet education in geology seems to be invaluable for this type of work.</p>
<p>Would I be better off just studying biology such as ecology or conservation biology? Would it be better to stick with geology, since it can be a very broad science or would it be best to study both geology and a biological science such as ecology?</p>
<p>The problem I have is that I do not want to specialize in one area. For example, I would want to be able to do some work in rain forest protection for a while, then study something like ocean acidification.</p>
<p>Am I being unrealistic in wanting to work/study in such differing areas?</p>
<p>I suggest you major in Geology. Not only does it have good job prospects, but you can certainly apply to Biology grad programs. It’s best to stay general and not specialize yourself until later on when youre actually looking for a job.</p>
<p>Check if your school has an Environmental Geology major, it seems like a good fit for you. Or try and double major in Geology and Biology.</p>
<p>There are some anthropology departments that offer courses in human-environ interactions and human impacts on environments. You may consider looking into this at the university you attend in addition to geology and bio. Some anthro departments actually focus on environmental matters(environ archaeology, ecological anthro, conservation anthro, etc.). This would be a great option for you if pursuing human impacts on environments. You could take a few classes, get a minor, or major-whatever option you find suites you best. Anthro departments are also good places to look for graduate work on human-environ interaction/impacts as well. Just a note, I definitely agree with the previous poster that it is important to remain general in undergrad while exploring your areas of interest.</p>