Nadja Simons

Background

About Nadja Simons

I work on the influence of land-use practices on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning with a focus on arthropods. On the one hand, I am interested in how management decisions affect the functional diversity of species’ communities at different spatial and temporal scales and how those translate to changes in the provisioning of ecosystem functions. On the other hand, I am also interested in how biodiversity and ecosystem services are considered in management decisions and planning and how they can be integrated into decision-making processes. My research focuses on forest and grassland systems as both systems face similar conflicts between management and conservation. Grasslands and forests have a large potential for integrative management strategies as they are relatively stable systems even under management and therefore important refuge habitats for biodiversity. Managers of forests and grasslands are faced with an increased public sensitivity and demand for insect conservation within those systems. By applying basic ecological methods in contexts and experiments relevant for managers and decision makers, my research helps make informed management decisions and communicate those effectively with the public.