Johan Ekroos

Research interests

I am a senior researcher in environmental science with a background in ecology. My general research interest is to understand the ecological drivers of current biodiversity loss and what consequences this has on human societies.

Habitat loss and fragmentation are major causes of biodiversity loss, which motivated me to study the effects of landscape structure on biodiversity already as a PhD student. I have been particularly interested in how and which ecological processes determine relationships between biodiversity and landscape characteristics, including effects of landscape composition and configuration as well as land-use intensity. Different organism groups show scale-dependent responses to landscape structure, which is why I have studied a wide variety of groups, including plants, butterflies, bees, hoverflies, ground beetles, and birds.

During and after my postdoc-time, I became interested in the relationship between

1. taxonomic and functional diversity of plants and animals, and
2. biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Inspired by the debate on relative effects of land sparing versus land sharing on biodiversity and food production, I have become increasingly interested in understanding trade-offs and synergies between commodity production and multiple environmental outcomes, including climate change adaptation and mitigation, biodiversity conservation, and enhancing ecosystem services.

Selection of ongoing research activities

Resourcification—an interdisciplinary investigation of processes behind defining, producing, exploiting, utilising, managing and stewarding resources (2018–2020)

Theme leader in in the collaborative initiative LU Land, a research-stakeholder platform focussing on challenges related to protecting biodiversity and ecosystem services under increased pressure on land use for infrastructure, agriculture, forestry and biomass production (2019–)

Green infrastructure as a policy tool for biodiversity conservation. Project leader, in collaboration with Maria von Post (CEC), Ola Olsson (Department of Biology), Anna S Persson (CEC), Johanna Alkan Olsson (CEC) and Åsa Knaggård (Department of Political Science). (2018–)

Integrating satellite remote sensing in the landscape ecology of mobile organisms. Project leader, in collaboration with Lars Eklundh (Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science), Niklas Boke-Olén (CEC) and Hakim Abdi (CEC). (2017–)

Organic farming as a tool to enhance resilience in production and biodiversity against droughts. Project leader, in collaboration with Henrik G Smith (CEC and Department of Biology), Romain Carrié (CEC) and Edith Hammer (Department of Biology). (2019–)

Leadership, administration and editorial assignments

Board member in the board of research education in environmental science, Lund University (2017–)

Board member in the strategic research area BECC (2017–)

Editorial Board member in Biological Conservation (2019–)

Associate Editor in Ornis Fennica (2013–2016)