Gidske Leknæs Andersen as supervisor

Research interest

My research interests cover effects of environmental and climate change, how processes of change unfold in space and time and their consequences on biodiversity, from species to landscape scales. I’m interested in interactions in socio-ecological systems, their resilience, and the importance of traditional ecological/environmental knowledge. I enjoy using various methodological approaches in my studies.

I was fascinated by the dry north-African landscape and vegetation changes there early on in my research carrier. That led me to seeking knowledge about the interplay between local nomadic groups and the natural resources they were depending on. As such the concept of cultural landscapes has been important in my research. In a wider context, cultural landscapes must be understood as socio-ecological systems where the interplay between nature, environment and humans are fundamental. In socio-ecological systems where scientific knowledge is lacking, traditional ecological/environmental knowledge is a valuable source to complement scientific knowledge and hence for sustainable management of natural resources in the future.

Today ecosystems and landscapes are facing fast and large changes. It is uncertain how most such systems will respond and whether they will be able to return to a previous undisturbed condition when the driver of change disappear. To understand these systems and their responses we need to know their system identity/undisturbed condition. It is also important to monitor drivers and changes. In this context GIS, Remote sensing, geovisualisation and spatial analyses are unique tools that can give important insights about geographical patterns across different spatial and temporal scales. Using these approaches, we can retrieve knowledge about the driving processes and their ecosystem effects.

Below I have listed some topics which I can supervise. I encourage students to actively engage in formulating their own master research topic/objectives. I’m more than willing to co-supervise if the topic requires a broader specter of knowledges/methodological approaches, for instance if you want to use GIS/RS in your thesis. Please drop by my office in room 718 or send me an email if you want to discuss ideas for your master.

• Land use and land cover change
• Landscape change and biodiversity
• Mapping and monitoring of nature types, biodiversity, cultural heritage . . .
• Urban green infrastructure – quality, quantity, spatial patterns
• Cultural landscapes and traditional knowledge
• Resilience of socio-ecological systems
• Plastic pollution and effects on landscapes and nature types
• Methods: GIS, Remote sensing, UAV, geovisulisation, spatial analyses, interviews, quantitative analyses, dendrochronology, C14-dating, field mapping