Katja Malmborg

I conduct research on how we can manage landscapes more sustainably, using transdisciplinary and relational qualitative research methods, based in resilience thinking. I have always been intrigued by processes of translation, between languages, disciplines and ways of knowing. I am excited by teaching, leading processes and in other ways exploring methods for how we can understand and care for both each other and whatever little parcel of Earth that we find ourselves in.

I currently work as a postdoctoral fellow in the project BIOSPHERE. The project is led by Inger Elisabeth Måren, UNESCO Chair on Sustainable Heritage and Environmental Management. I also work closely with the other researchers and students in her team. The focus of the BIOSPHERE project is to, in collaboration with the Nordhordland UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and Alver municipality, explore strategies and practical land management innovations that have the potential to improve sustainable management of lands under pressure in Nordhordland, north of Bergen. We will do this by trialing participatory methods such as PPGIS, the Seeds of Good Anthropocenes methodology, and tools from resilience practice.

I hold a PhD in Sustainability Science from Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University (2021). My PhD thesis focused on exploring ways in which to operationalize the ecosystem service concept for local decision-making, in support of sustainable landscape management and stewardship. The study area for my PhD thesis was the Helge å catchment in Southern Sweden, and the project was done in collaboration with the Kristianstad Vattenrike UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. In addition to having engaged in knowledge co-production in biosphere reserves, I have also done research on multifunctionality in smallholder farming landscapes in Burkina Faso and Ghana, West Africa.