Anu Valtonen

Anu Valtonen serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Ecology, Environment and Geoscience at Umeå University, Sweden, where she conducts field research in the Afrotropics and teaches undergraduate courses in ecology and statistics.

Her research program integrates conservation and restoration ecology through two major projects: active restoration of tree communities in Kibale National Park, Uganda (UWA-FACE project), examining recovery of plant-insect diversity and food webs; and ecological studies of the African edible bush-cricket Ruspolia differens to support sustainable harvesting in East Africa. As a member of Umeå's Restoration Ecology and Terrestrial Ecology research groups, she bridges tropical biodiversity science with food security applications.

Valtonen's recent publications reveal strong interdisciplinary trends across entomology, tropical ecology, and sustainable food systems. Her work consistently addresses human impacts on Afrotropical biodiversity while advancing edible insect farming protocols, forest restoration metrics, and ethnobiological knowledge systems. This research demonstrates methodological innovation through combined isotope-genetic analyses and community-based assessments.

Her international collaborations with Ugandan researchers emphasize capacity building and knowledge exchange, particularly through the UWA-FACE project partnership with Uganda Wildlife Authority. Current work focuses on scaling insect farming techniques and quantifying restoration outcomes across Afrotropical landscapes.