I am an animal ecologist and my research is focused on waterbirds and the ecosystems where they occur. The research is done within my network, which nationally includes researches at Kristianstad University and Linnaeus University, and internationally with researchers at universities in Finland and France.

Currently, my research is mainly within the project Effects of large herbivorous waterfowl in aquatic ecosystems, financed by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, and for which I am the project leader. The project aims at studying the role of geese and swans in wetlands. The background is that several species, for example greylag goose and whooper swan, have increased dramatically in recent decades. Wetlands have undergone changes too, for example in the composition of plant and animal communities, but also seen as increased eutrophication and browning. That geese and swans are supposed to have important roles in wetlands have several reasons, but is mainly due to the fact that vegetation has a central function in theses aquatic ecosystems, for example affecting nutrient cycling and state shifting (clear-water versus turbid state). Geese and swans are pure vegetarians and need to consume large amounts of food to sustain their energy needs, in fact up to one third of their body mass every day. Since they are heavy birds, it is expected that the grazing pressure may be substantial, especially if bird numbers are high. This will be studied in several ways, for example by protecting vegetation from grazing by fencing, and by comparing vegetation in such fenced areas with those where geese and swan grazing occurs.

If you have any questions about my research, teaching or related topics, do not hesitate to contact me.

At Kristianstad University I teach mainly in ecology and methodology.