Andreas Melcher

Andreas Melcher is a Lecturer at the Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management (IHG) at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) in Vienna. His research focuses on aquatic ecosystems, conservation biology, and climate change impacts. He is affiliated with the Center for Development Research and contributes to transdisciplinary projects addressing freshwater management in semi-arid regions like Burkina Faso and Uganda. His work spans biomonitoring, policy analysis for sustainable protein transitions, and the ecological effects of hydropower infrastructure.

Dr. Melcher’s expertise includes fish community dynamics, riverine ecosystem health assessment, and agroecological practices. His recent projects involve developing biotic indices for West African rivers and evaluating the socio-economic dimensions of inland fisheries in developing countries. He has also explored the impacts of climate change on fish assemblages and river fragmentation caused by impoundments in Europe.

His teaching activities include ecosystem management courses at BOKU, and he actively participates in institutional committees such as the Senate (bSEN) and Development Research (iENTF). His research integrates ecological, social, and political dimensions to address sustainability challenges in food systems and freshwater resources.

Key research areas include:

• Climate change adaptation in aquatic ecosystems
• Community-based environmental monitoring
• Policy mixes for sustainable protein production
• Conservation agriculture adoption in sub-Saharan Africa
• Hydrological impacts of infrastructure
• Riparian vegetation restoration

Dr. Melcher collaborates internationally on projects such as transdisciplinary research in Burkina Faso’s water-food nexus and has contributed to the European Fish Index (EFI+) framework for ecological status assessments.