Anna Skarin
Presentation
Research interests:
In my research, I focus on two main areas, partly to understand what influences the behavior of animals and the selection of grazing area in different situations, and partly how the animals themselves affect the vegetation and their foraging resource. I work primarily with these issues in relation to reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) and reindeer husbandry, but I have also participated in studies of how horses (Equine calabus) could be used in extensive animal husbandry systems to promote biodiversity.
Research Goal:
To understand drivers of animal behavior and habitat selection, and specifically how human impact (from both herders and from human caused disturbance) affect reindeer behavior and use of the landscape.
Research Skills: Co-production of knowledge together with stakeholders. Working with collecting, handling and analyzing large (GPS) data set using open source software (R, QGIS, PostgreSQL), planning and conducting extensive fieldwork, design of pellet-group count inventories.
Activity in the scientific society:
Several referee-assignments for biological and ecological journals, such as Polar Biology, Ecography, Oecologica, Global Change Biology, Wildlife Biology, Mammalian biology, Ambio, PloSOne, Arctic, Rangifer and in the Orgnisation and Scientific committee for conferences, such as Arctic Ungulate Conference - AUC, Jokkmokk August, 2019
Editor-in-chief for the Rangifer journal
Activity with stakeholders outside the scientific society:
Expert on management issues concerning reindeer husbandry and infrastructure impact, give lectures to stakeholders connected environmental management and reindeer husbandry in Sweden.
Teaching
Responsible for the bachelor course Reindeer biology and reindeer husbandry, HV0216 running every second autumn, the master course Research training and projects including laboratory animal science, HV0197, and the PhD-course Animal movements - from free ranging to restricted indoor environments, given the first time in autumn 2023.
Teaching in PhD-courses (R and GIS courses at VH-faculty, SLU). Regularly give lectures in different topics related to reindeer husbandry and reindeer ecology. Supervise students conducting their Bachelor, Master thesis and various project works on reindeer topics in different courses.
Research
Ongoing research projects (project leader):
EQUIP - Is reindeer husbandry equipped for the perfect storm? (2023-2027)
REINFORCE - Climate, habitat and animal production (2022-2026)
REINFEED - feeding reindeer for future free-range functionality (2019-2023)
NKJ-network - Solutions for supplementary feeding of reindeer
Participant in ongoing reserach projects:
MINEDEER - Understanding impacts of mining activities on reindeer, reindeer husbandry and Sami culture (2020-2024, co-project leader)
Precision livestock breeding – improving both health and production in dairy cattle (2020-2022)
Selected publications
Publication list (Google Scholar)