The UC Natural Reserve System is the largest and most diverse set of university-owned and operated reserves in the world. Its 33 reserves include examples of nearly every major ecosystem in the state. These reserves provide secure sites for long-term environmental research, education and public outreach. They enable monitoring of environmental health, and provide a baseline for ecosystem restoration, in the context of California's rapidly growing population and the changing global environment.

Six reserves are administered by the Davis campus: Bodega Marine Reserve, Eagle Lake Field Station, Jepson Prairie Reserve, Donald and Sylvia McLaughlin Reserve, Quail Ridge Reserve and Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve. These reserves represent a wide variety of habitats in close proximity to the campus. For further information about the individual reserves and for applications for reserve use please see below.