With ten soccer fields of tropical rainforest being cleared per minute, we are currently losing tropical biodiversity at an unprecedented rate. Restoration of areas of other land-uses into so called secondary forests is increasingly recognized as an important strategy to recover this loss of biodiversity. While we know that the regeneration of forests strongly depends on seed dispersal and successful establishment of trees, the underlying mechanisms driving restoration remain unclear. With my doctoral research, I aim to contribute to an overarching framework that is very much needed to optimize restoration strategies. Combining systematic literature review, field work in Costa Rica and a computational model, my aim is to produce a validated case study of reforestation under different land use histories and varying surrounding forest cover.

Are you a BSc/MSc student interested in doing a research internship under my supervision? Please check out the available projects we offer at the website of the Quantitative Biodiversity Dynamics group.