Svenja Horstmann

Grassland road verges can support a high biodiversity and were put forward as potential conservation resource. The aim of my PhD is to better understand the biodiversity of plants and wild pollinators in Swedish road verges, and the effect of already applied biodiversity-targeted management.
To achieve this, I include historical and present data. Specifically, I evaluate the effects of historical land use on the current biodiversity of plants and wild pollinators along linear infrastructure habitats, including road verges and power line corridors. Furthermore, I investigate whether targeted management of road verges promotes biodiversity, or if there is a risk that species-rich road verges could act as ecological trap for flower-visiting insects. I also assess if species-rich road verges can contribute to pollination services in the surrounding landscape.

I have an MSc in Biodiversity and Ecology with specialization on nature conservation from the University of Göttingen. Interested in wild bees, I worked and wrote my thesis in agroecology. I also have experience in consulting on biodiversity aspects in the development sector, and value the importance of communication between scientists and policy makers.

Main supervisor:

Erik Öckinger CV

Supervisor group:

Alistair Auffret CV

Björn Klatt CV (Lund University)

Lina Herbertsson CV (Lund University)

ResearchGate profile