Alia Dietsch

Dr. Alia Dietsch serves as an Associate Professor in Parks, Protected Areas, and Natural Resources Management at The Ohio State University's School of Environment and Natural Resources. Her work bridges social science theory with practical conservation applications, focusing on human dimensions of natural resource management. She maintains an active research program collaborating with state and federal natural resource agencies to inform planning, management, and communication efforts.

Dr. Dietsch employs social psychological approaches to understand how human cognition influences individual behaviors across various conservation contexts. Her research spans human cognition and behavior, nature-based recreation, noncompliance issues, equity and justice in conservation, public lands management, and human-wildlife interactions, with particular expertise in carnivore-related conflicts. She utilizes advanced methodologies including multilevel modeling, survey sampling, and geospatial analysis to investigate complex human-nature relationships.

Her publication record demonstrates consistent scholarly output across high-impact conservation journals, with recent work examining trauma in nature-based leisure, trust in conservation partnerships, wildlife value orientations, and human dimensions of wildlife management. Her research increasingly addresses equity, justice, and power dynamics in conservation decision-making, reflecting evolving societal values toward wildlife.

Dr. Dietsch leads the Dietsch Team which has worked extensively on human-nature interactions, carnivore conservation, wildlife management, nature-based experiences, and recreation management on public lands. She directs significant projects including The National Visitor Survey in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which has surveyed over 15,000 visitors across 110+ national wildlife refuges to inform management decisions. She also contributes to America's Wildlife Values project and the Environmental and Social Sustainability Lab.

As an educator, Dr. Dietsch teaches ENR 2300 (Society and Natural Resources), ENR 3600 (Recreation Management on Public Lands), and ENR 6510 (Research Design for Environmental Social Sciences), mentoring numerous graduate students who appear as co-authors on her publications. Her work has practical applications for wildlife managers seeking to understand public perspectives and improve conservation outcomes through evidence-based approaches.