Anna Treydte
About me
I have started my position here at the Department of Physcial Geography as an Associate Professor in Nature and Environmental Management in 2021, with a focus on Sustainable Development.
My scientific interest lies in biodiversity and conservation challenges in a human-impacted, changing world. My main research focus lies in assessing how climate change and human activities alter structural, species and functional biodiversity of flora and fauna in natural and agro-ecological systems. I investigate plant-animal interactions and animal population management, human-wildlife coexistence and livestock impacts on rangelands across the world. I am interested in the shifts in nutrient cycling, carbon stocks as well as plant and animal species diversity and invasiveness in landscapes of various human land use pressure (e.g., corridors, buffer zones, protected lands and cultivated lands) that are also facing weather extremes triggered by climate change. I include socio-ecological aspects in my research as sustainable human-wildlife coexistence can only be achieved when local stakeholders are informed and participate in the decision-making process on resource use.
With my research projects, I address human-wildlife coexistence globally, particularly focusing on wild mammal species but also investigating livestock populations and their movement patterns in and around protected areas. My research spans across various spatial and temporal scales and addresses ecosystem functions and processes in temperate climates (Germany), desert environments (Mongolia, Saudi Arabia), savanna systems (eastern and southern Africa), mountain regions (Andes) and tropical forests (China, Vietnam, Thailand, Tanzania).
Publications: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=bOhIQlkAAAAJ&hl=en
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RESEARCH
My research addresses the following questions:
- How do plants and animals respond to human impact in protected and cultivated landscapes?
- How can we maintain biodiversity in times of global and /or climate change?
- What solutions are environmentally sustainable? What is socio-economically sustainable?
- How passive / active should we be when restoring ecological functions and services?
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Below are the various research projects that I am leading:
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Human – Wildlife Coexistence: Reaching a sustainable human – wildlife coexistence by understanding patterns, predicting conflict hotspots and improving communication
Members: Ronja Kraus, PhD student (https://www.su.se/english/profiles/rokr4514-1.591101); Erica von Essen, co-supervisor (https://www.slu.se/cv/erica-von-essen); Anna Sustersic, co-supervisor (https://www.coexistence.life/team/)
We intend to map human-wildlife conflicts on a large scale, with case study sites in Sweden, Italy and Tanzania. We will use data on conflict occurrences, wildlife population trends and movement patterns as well as socio-ecological drivers to understand the dynamics between human and wildlife land use over space and time. Using Agent based modelling we plan to draw a landscape of acceptance in the human-dominated land around protected areas.
Intended year of graduation: Feb, 2026, at Stockholm University, Sweden
Funding: Stockholm University
Publications: not yet
******************************************************************************
Rangeland Ecology: Adapting to change – co-management scenarios of local pastoralists and protected area management to maintain cultural and biological diversity in the Dzungarian Gobi, Mongolia
Members: Lena Michler, PhD student (https://agroecology.uni-hohenheim.de/michler); Max Mischke, MSc student at Stockholm University; Marie-Louise Schmitt, BSc student at University of Hohenheim; Petra Kaczensky, co-supervisor (https://www.inn.no/english/find-an-employee/petra-kaczensky.html)
Here we focus on the biological and cultural diversity in the Dzungarian Gobi desert in Mongolia, where nomadic pastoralists roam with their herds of goats, sheep and other livestock, sharing the natural resources with wild ungulates. We investigate livestock movement patterns using GPS collars and conduct surveys on the traditional nomadic herding management. We apply a socio-ecological approach, including field observations, laboratory experiments and collecting interview data.
Lena is also employed in a 50% position as Project Lead Socio-Economy at the International Takhi Group (ITG), directly supporting the protected area management with her research outcomes (www.savethewildhorse.org).
Intended date of graduation: June 2023 at the University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
Funding: Heinrich Boell Stiftung, Germany; ITG Switzerland
Related publications:
Michler LM, Kaczensky P, Ploechl JF, Batsukh D, Baumgartner SA, Battogtokh B, Treydte AC (2022) Moving toward the greener side: environmental aspects guiding pastoral mobility and impacting vegetation in the Dzungarian Gobi, Mongolia. Rangeland Ecology & Management 83:149-160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rama.2022.03.006
Michler LM, Treydte AC, Hayat H, Lemke S (2019) Marginalised herders: Social dynamics and natural resource use in the fragile environment of the Richtersveld National Park, South Africa. Environmental Development 29:29-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envdev.2018.12.001
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Rangeland Ecology: Pyrodiversity affecting plant species communities in the Serengeti ecosystem
Members: Louis Hunninck, post-doc (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Louis-Hunninck); Stuart Smith, collaborator (https://research.brighton.ac.uk/en/persons/stuart-smith); John Bukombe, collaborator (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Bukombe-John)
Here, we assess how fire frequency, timing, intensity, and size affect the distributions of herbaceous species across the Serengeti ecosystem, Tanzania. We compile a unique herbaceous dataset from 20 projects spanning two decades, containing more than 450 surveyed herbaceous species and over 11,000 recorded species presence locations. We apply joint species distribution models using the Hierarchical Modelling of Species Communities (HMSC) approach, which incorporates species phylogeny and species co-occurrence to better inform how species distributions relate to environmental variables. We consider both environmental (e.g., mean annual rainfall) and anthropogenic disturbance covariates (e.g., distance to roads).
Intended end of project: December 2023
Funding: Stockholm University
Related publications: not yet
******************************************************************************
Rangeland Restoration: How resilient are semi-arid rangelands towards high grazing pressure and rainfall variability? Water and nutrient availability under different grazing regimes in eastern Africa
Members: Sabine Baumgartner, PhD student (https://agroecology.uni-hohenheim.de/baumgartner); Faith Mpondo, former PhD student at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology; Stuart Smith, collaborator (https://research.brighton.ac.uk/en/persons/stuart-smith)
This research focuses on understanding traditional herding strategies, in particular the use of long-time exclosures and seasonal grazing grounds of Maasai pastoralists in northern Tanzania. I analyse the effect of different grazing pressure on herbaceous vegetation growth and composition, soil properties and water content. I use both observational and experimental studies in the field.
Intended date of graduation: August, 2023 at the University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
Funding: Hans Boeckler Stiftung, Germany;
Related publications: Baumgartner S, Treydte AC, Grant CC, van Rooyen J (2015) Can diverse herbivore communities increase landscape heterogeneity? Comparing wild and domestic herbivore assemblages in a South African savanna. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 17: 34-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ppees.2014.11.002
Treydte AC, Baumgartner S, Heitkönig IMA, Grant CC, Getz WM (2013) Herbaceous forage and selection patterns by ungulates across varying herbivore assemblages in a South African savanna. PLoS ONE 8(12): e82831. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0082831.
******************************************************************************
Invasive Plant Species Management: The current distribution of Helichrysum species and their effect on orchid species in Kitulo National Park, Tanzania
Members: Christopher Mgimba, PhD student (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Christopher-Mgimba); Issakwisa Ngondya, co-supervisor (https://nm-aist.ac.tz/index.php/issakwisa); Stuart Smith, collaborator (https://research.brighton.ac.uk/en/persons/stuart-smith)
Kitulo National Park (KNP) hosts a high diversity of charismatic orchid species. However, KNP has undergone ecological changes in terms of vegetation cover, following the cessation of livestock grazing and crop cultivation. Most of the orchid species are sensitive to ecological changes such as expansion of herbaceous vegetation but so far little is known about the response of orchid species in KNP to the herbaceous native invader plant, Helichrysum species, that have started to dominate some parts of the park. Such information is crucial for successful in-situ conservation of orchids. We assess plant species communities in the field, conducting interviews to understand historical use of this area and doing greenhouse experiments on Helichrysum species germination potential under different environmental conditions.
Intended year of graduation: August, 2023, at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), Arusha, Tanzania
Funding: Mbeya University of Science and Technology, Tanzania
Related publications: not yet
*****************************************************************************
Land use history impacts on protected areas: Human activities – A possible cause of cyanobacteria blooms affecting lesser flamingos (Phoenicopterus minor) population in the Momella lakes, Tanzania
Members: Deogratias Lihepanyama, PhD student (https://www.linkedin.com/in/deogratias-lihepanyama-66bba572/?originalSubdomain=tz); Janeth Marwa, co-supervisor (https://nm-aist.ac.tz/index.php/janeth); Patrick Ndakidemi, co-supervisor (https://www.parliament.go.tz/administrations/613)
We investigate how and over what time of the year nitrogen and phosphorus (N, P) agro-chemicals from soils of farming activities and water catchments affect water quality and promote cyanobacteria blooms. We further want to understand how this might affect lesser flamingos in the lakes. We assess land use/cover change, quantify soil nutrients and algal biomass, counting lesser flamingo local populations and assess social-economic activities in the villages bordering the lakes. The research output targets to improve biodiversity conservation strategies of the lesser flamingos that are ecologically useful as bio-indicators in soda lakes and wetlands, and improve land use management around the lakes, ultimately ensuring the continuous touristic attraction of these lakes.
Intended year of graduation: December, 2023, at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), Arusha, Tanzania
Funding: Rufford Small Grants
Related publications: not yet
******************************************************************************
Current MSc students:
Max Mischke - Mongolian pastoralist movement patterns around water points in the Gobi B
Felicia Wikinger - Reindeer movement shifts with respect to tourism activity in northern Sweden
Yvonne Aurell - Land take and reuse in and around Uppsala, Sweden
Hedda Kjeldahl - Purpoise distribution under fishing pressure in the Kattegat
Laura Soliz - Woody encroachment of Acacia drepanolobium under ground water change in northern Tanzania
Preeti Bhatnagar - Agroforestry affecting ground water tables in Indian rice production systems
Axel Theorell - Mining for rare earths in northern Sweden - can this be sustainable?
*********************************************************************************************
Former Lab Group Members:
Former PhD students (as main supervisor):
Lucas Theodori, to graduate in 2023
Dr. Cecilia Leweri, graduated in 2022
Dr. Faith Thomas, graduated in 2022
Dr. Nyangabo Musika, graduated in 2022
Dr. Siri Abihudi, gradutated in 2022
Dr. Elmugheira Mohammed, graduated in 2022
Dr. Gabriel Mayengo, graduated in 2020
Dr. Fredrick Ojija, graduated in 2020
Dr. Beatus Mwendwa, graduated in 2020
Dr. Samuel Tuffa Kawo, graduated in 2017
Dr. Franziska Harich, graduated in 2017
Dr. Issakwisa Ngondya, graduated in 2017
Dr. Naza Mbaga Emmanuel, graduated in 2017
Dr. Hassan Yusuf Mohammed, graduated in 2014
************************************************************************************
Former visiting researchers / post-docs hosted:
Dr. Stuart W. Smith: Can savanna restoration enhance soil carbon storage?
Dr. Asanterabi Lowassa: The impact of gender inequality on climate change adaptation and livelihoods of marginalized communities around protected areas in Tanzania
Dr. Yayneshet Tesfay: Responses of vegetation and soils to three grazing management regimes in a semi-arid highland mixed crop-livestock system
Dr. Abule Ebro: The impact of land use / land cover changes on bush encroachment and community perceptions about vegetation changes in Ethiopia
Dr. Ayana Angassa: Transformation of cultural landscapes of the savanna ecosystems in southern Ethiopia
Prof. Tamera Minnick: Rangeland restoration, conservation planning, from Colorado Mesa University, USA
Prof. Todd Michael Anderson: Tree-grass-herbivore interaction, Acacia tree evolutionary ecology, Snapshot Serengeti data, from Wake Forest University, USA
************************************************************************************
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Research
RESEARCH
My research addresses the following questions:
- How do plants and animals respond to human impact in protected and cultivated landscapes?
- How can we maintain biodiversity in times of global and /or climate change?
- What solutions are environmentally sustainable? What is socio-economically sustainable?
- How passive / active should we be when restoring ecological functions and services?
******************************************************************************
Below are the various research projects that I am leading:
******************************************************************************
Human – Wildlife Coexistence: Reaching a sustainable human – wildlife coexistence by understanding patterns, predicting conflict hotspots and improving communication
Members: Ronja Kraus, PhD student (https://www.su.se/english/profiles/rokr4514-1.591101); Erica von Essen, co-supervisor (https://www.slu.se/cv/erica-von-essen); Anna Sustersic, co-supervisor (https://www.coexistence.life/team/)
We intend to map human-wildlife conflicts on a large scale, with case study sites in Sweden, Italy and Tanzania. We will use data on conflict occurrences, wildlife population trends and movement patterns as well as socio-ecological drivers to understand the dynamics between human and wildlife land use over space and time. Using Agent based modelling we plan to draw a landscape of acceptance in the human-dominated land around protected areas.
Intended year of graduation: Feb, 2026, at Stockholm University, Sweden
Funding: Stockholm University
Publications: not yet
******************************************************************************
Rangeland Ecology: Adapting to change – co-management scenarios of local pastoralists and protected area management to maintain cultural and biological diversity in the Dzungarian Gobi, Mongolia
Members: Lena Michler, PhD student (https://agroecology.uni-hohenheim.de/michler); Max Mischke, MSc student at Stockholm University; Marie-Louise Schmitt, BSc student at University of Hohenheim; Petra Kaczensky, co-supervisor (https://www.inn.no/english/find-an-employee/petra-kaczensky.html)
Here we focus on the biological and cultural diversity in the Dzungarian Gobi desert in Mongolia, where nomadic pastoralists roam with their herds of goats, sheep and other livestock, sharing the natural resources with wild ungulates. We investigate livestock movement patterns using GPS collars and conduct surveys on the traditional nomadic herding management. We apply a socio-ecological approach, including field observations, laboratory experiments and collecting interview data.
Lena is also employed in a 50% position as Project Lead Socio-Economy at the International Takhi Group (ITG), directly supporting the protected area management with her research outcomes (www.savethewildhorse.org).
Intended date of graduation: June 2023 at the University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
Funding: Heinrich Boell Stiftung, Germany; ITG Switzerland
Related publications:
Michler LM, Kaczensky P, Ploechl JF, Batsukh D, Baumgartner SA, Battogtokh B, Treydte AC (2022) Moving toward the greener side: environmental aspects guiding pastoral mobility and impacting vegetation in the Dzungarian Gobi, Mongolia. Rangeland Ecology & Management 83:149-160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rama.2022.03.006
Michler LM, Treydte AC, Hayat H, Lemke S (2019) Marginalised herders: Social dynamics and natural resource use in the fragile environment of the Richtersveld National Park, South Africa. Environmental Development 29:29-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envdev.2018.12.001
******************************************************************************
Rangeland Ecology: Pyrodiversity affecting plant species communities in the Serengeti ecosystem
Members: Louis Hunninck, post-doc (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Louis-Hunninck); Stuart Smith, collaborator (https://research.brighton.ac.uk/en/persons/stuart-smith); John Bukombe, collaborator (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Bukombe-John)
Here, we assess how fire frequency, timing, intensity, and size affect the distributions of herbaceous species across the Serengeti ecosystem, Tanzania. We compile a unique herbaceous dataset from 20 projects spanning two decades, containing more than 450 surveyed herbaceous species and over 11,000 recorded species presence locations. We apply joint species distribution models using the Hierarchical Modelling of Species Communities (HMSC) approach, which incorporates species phylogeny and species co-occurrence to better inform how species distributions relate to environmental variables. We consider both environmental (e.g., mean annual rainfall) and anthropogenic disturbance covariates (e.g., distance to roads).
Intended end of project: December 2023
Funding: Stockholm University
Related publications: not yet
******************************************************************************
Rangeland Restoration: How resilient are semi-arid rangelands towards high grazing pressure and rainfall variability? Water and nutrient availability under different grazing regimes in eastern Africa
Members: Sabine Baumgartner, PhD student (https://agroecology.uni-hohenheim.de/baumgartner); Faith Mpondo, former PhD student at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology; Stuart Smith, collaborator (https://research.brighton.ac.uk/en/persons/stuart-smith)
This research focuses on understanding traditional herding strategies, in particular the use of long-time exclosures and seasonal grazing grounds of Maasai pastoralists in northern Tanzania. I analyse the effect of different grazing pressure on herbaceous vegetation growth and composition, soil properties and water content. I use both observational and experimental studies in the field.
Intended date of graduation: August, 2023 at the University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
Funding: Hans Boeckler Stiftung, Germany;
Related publications: Baumgartner S, Treydte AC, Grant CC, van Rooyen J (2015) Can diverse herbivore communities increase landscape heterogeneity? Comparing wild and domestic herbivore assemblages in a South African savanna. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 17: 34-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ppees.2014.11.002
Treydte AC, Baumgartner S, Heitkönig IMA, Grant CC, Getz WM (2013) Herbaceous forage and selection patterns by ungulates across varying herbivore assemblages in a South African savanna. PLoS ONE 8(12): e82831. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0082831.
******************************************************************************
Invasive Plant Species Management: The current distribution of Helichrysum species and their effect on orchid species in Kitulo National Park, Tanzania
Members: Christopher Mgimba, PhD student (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Christopher-Mgimba); Issakwisa Ngondya, co-supervisor (https://nm-aist.ac.tz/index.php/issakwisa); Stuart Smith, collaborator (https://research.brighton.ac.uk/en/persons/stuart-smith)
Kitulo National Park (KNP) hosts a high diversity of charismatic orchid species. However, KNP has undergone ecological changes in terms of vegetation cover, following the cessation of livestock grazing and crop cultivation. Most of the orchid species are sensitive to ecological changes such as expansion of herbaceous vegetation but so far little is known about the response of orchid species in KNP to the herbaceous native invader plant, Helichrysum species, that have started to dominate some parts of the park. Such information is crucial for successful in-situ conservation of orchids. We assess plant species communities in the field, conducting interviews to understand historical use of this area and doing greenhouse experiments on Helichrysum species germination potential under different environmental conditions.
Intended year of graduation: August, 2023, at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), Arusha, Tanzania
Funding: Mbeya University of Science and Technology, Tanzania
Related publications: not yet
*****************************************************************************
Land use history impacts on protected areas: Human activities – A possible cause of cyanobacteria blooms affecting lesser flamingos (Phoenicopterus minor) population in the Momella lakes, Tanzania
Members: Deogratias Lihepanyama, PhD student (https://www.linkedin.com/in/deogratias-lihepanyama-66bba572/?originalSubdomain=tz); Janeth Marwa, co-supervisor (https://nm-aist.ac.tz/index.php/janeth); Patrick Ndakidemi, co-supervisor (https://www.parliament.go.tz/administrations/613)
We investigate how and over what time of the year nitrogen and phosphorus (N, P) agro-chemicals from soils of farming activities and water catchments affect water quality and promote cyanobacteria blooms. We further want to understand how this might affect lesser flamingos in the lakes. We assess land use/cover change, quantify soil nutrients and algal biomass, counting lesser flamingo local populations and assess social-economic activities in the villages bordering the lakes. The research output targets to improve biodiversity conservation strategies of the lesser flamingos that are ecologically useful as bio-indicators in soda lakes and wetlands, and improve land use management around the lakes, ultimately ensuring the continuous touristic attraction of these lakes.
Intended year of graduation: December, 2023, at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), Arusha, Tanzania
Funding: Rufford Small Grants
Related publications: not yet
******************************************************************************
Current MSc students:
Max Mischke - Mongolian pastoralist movement patterns around water points in the Gobi B
Felicia Wikinger - Reindeer movement shifts with respect to tourism activity in northern Sweden
Yvonne Aurell - Land take and reuse in and around Uppsala, Sweden
Hedda Kjeldahl - Purpoise distribution under fishing pressure in the Kattegat
Laura Soliz - Woody encroachment of Acacia drepanolobium under ground water change in northern Tanzania
Preeti Bhatnagar - Agroforestry affecting ground water tables in Indian rice production systems
Axel Theorell - Mining for rare earths in northern Sweden - can this be sustainable?
*********************************************************************************************
Former Lab Group Members:
Former PhD students (as main supervisor):
Lucas Theodori, to graduate in 2023
Dr. Cecilia Leweri, graduated in 2022
Dr. Faith Thomas, graduated in 2022
Dr. Nyangabo Musika, graduated in 2022
Dr. Siri Abihudi, gradutated in 2022
Dr. Elmugheira Mohammed, graduated in 2022
Dr. Gabriel Mayengo, graduated in 2020
Dr. Fredrick Ojija, graduated in 2020
Dr. Beatus Mwendwa, graduated in 2020
Dr. Samuel Tuffa Kawo, graduated in 2017
Dr. Franziska Harich, graduated in 2017
Dr. Issakwisa Ngondya, graduated in 2017
Dr. Naza Mbaga Emmanuel, graduated in 2017
Dr. Hassan Yusuf Mohammed, graduated in 2014
************************************************************************************
Former visiting researchers / post-docs hosted:
Dr. Stuart W. Smith: Can savanna restoration enhance soil carbon storage?
Dr. Asanterabi Lowassa: The impact of gender inequality on climate change adaptation and livelihoods of marginalized communities around protected areas in Tanzania
Dr. Yayneshet Tesfay: Responses of vegetation and soils to three grazing management regimes in a semi-arid highland mixed crop-livestock system
Dr. Abule Ebro: The impact of land use / land cover changes on bush encroachment and community perceptions about vegetation changes in Ethiopia
Dr. Ayana Angassa: Transformation of cultural landscapes of the savanna ecosystems in southern Ethiopia
Prof. Tamera Minnick: Rangeland restoration, conservation planning, from Colorado Mesa University, USA
Prof. Todd Michael Anderson: Tree-grass-herbivore interaction, Acacia tree evolutionary ecology, Snapshot Serengeti data, from Wake Forest University, USA
************************************************************************************
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