Restoring Ecosystems through understanding decisions
My work serves as a bridge between practitioners and policymakers. The goal is to communicate the underlying reasons behind decisions to restore —or not restore— land in Scotland. The voices of practitioners are at the heart of this project; your experiences and insights are what matter most to me.
Project description
My research explores the reasons behind decision-making in Scotland’s restoration management of different stakeholders.
In this project, I am developing an agent-based model, grounded in psychological theory, to explore how decisions about nature restoration are made in Scotland.
Agent-based modelling is a computer-based approach that simulates how individuals or groups behave and interact, helping us understand how their choices shape larger systems.
By engaging communities, fostering partnerships, and ensuring knowledge accessibility, I aim to bridge practice and policy —promoting both ecological recovery and social equity
- Modelling.
- Survey data.
- Network Analysis.
- Local workshops.
Who am I?
My name is Adelaide Sander, and I am an environmental scientist from ETH Zurich, currently pursuing a PhD in environmental decision-making. I am part of the Ecosystem Management group led by Professor Jaboury Ghazoul, where our research explores the intersections of ecology, sociology, and policy. My second supervisor is Calum Brown who is based in Scotland and works at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology researching processes that cause change in land management and ecosystems.
My key interests include:
- Nature and human-nature connections.
- Human behaviour.
- Nature restoration and conservation.
- Agro-ecosystems.