Lena Strauß (she/her)

Biography

As a PGR based in the Sustainability Research Institute at the University of Leeds, I work with Prof Martin Dallimer and Prof Timothy R. Baker from the University of Leeds, as well as with Dr Ricardo F. de Lima from the University of Lisbon. I hold a Master’s Degree in Integrated Natural Resource Management with an emphasis on biodiversity conservation. Prior to joining the University of Leeds, I gained work experience in the broad fields of international development cooperation, constructive journalism, and congress management.

Qualifications

2013 – 2016: Masters in Integrated Natural Resource Management from the Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany

2009 – 2013: Undergraduate in Landscape Planning and Landscape Architecture from the Technical University of Berlin, Germany

Research Interests

  • Biodiversity conservation
  • Land-use change
  • Ecosystem services
  • Nature-based solutions
  • Tropical forest ecology
  • Small island states

Project Title

People, forest use and biodiversity on islands: Models for global sustainability

Supervisors

Prof Martin Dallimer

Prof Timothy R. Baker

Dr Ricardo F. de Lima

Funding

NERC Panorama DTP, 2019

Project outline

My project aims to investigate the relationships between people, forest use, and biodiversity in small island states. Due to their geographic constraints, islands provide exceptional model conditions for studying universal processes such as environmental change. Specifically, I focus on the small island state of São Tomé und Príncipe, located in the Gulf of Guinea, Central Africa, where a rapidly growing population is putting pressure on the natural resource base. Yet, the biodiversity in this country urgently needs to be protected, in particular because of its high level of species uniqueness.

Links

University of Leeds – Lena Strauß

Orcid