Anna Persson

I have a research background in landscape ecology and conservation science, with a focus on how pollinators are affected by landscape scale changes caused by the intensification of farming practices.

My ongoing research deal with urban biodiversity and ecosystem services, both in public and private green spaces. More specifically, I study how structure and quality of the urban environment affect pollinating insects, focussing on wild bees and hoverflies. I am also interested if any effects on pollinators translate into effects on the ecosystem service they provide in the form of pollination of garden crops and native plants. The results from my research can contribute to a scientific and evidence-based foundation for the planning of (ecologically) sustainable cities. It will also provide information to help maintain both biodiversity of plants and pollinators, as well as an important ecosystem service, in urban environments.

The projects (‘Building cities to accommodate people, biodiversity and ecosystem services’ and ‘Saved by the city?’) are funded by the Swedish Research Council Formas and carried out in collaboration with prof. Henrik Smith at CEC, Lund University, and Prof. Richard Fuller, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane. 

I also work in the Formas-funded project Urban Nature, together with colleagues at CEC, LTH and IIEEE, and in various collaborative projects on pollinator diversity in farmland landscapes with colleagues at CEC and the Department of Biology, Lund University.