Gunnar Austrheim

Gunnar Austrheim is a Professor at the Department of Natural History, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), affiliated with the Natural History Museum. His expertise lies in conservation biology and ecology, focusing on how human activities such as land use and climate change impact biodiversity and ecosystem services in alpine, boreal, and urban ecosystems. He has led projects like MANECO and DYLAN, exploring sustainable herbivore management and cultural landscape dynamics. Austrheim teaches courses including 'Sustainable Management of Ecosystem Services' at the Master's level in Natural Resource Management.

His research bridges ecological and socio-economic dimensions, examining how human-driven processes like livestock grazing and herbivore management affect ecosystems. Recent work includes experimental studies on sheep grazing impacts, historical land-use transitions, and climate change buffering by plant communities. Key projects involve collaborations with institutions across Europe, addressing global challenges in biodiversity conservation and sustainable resource use.

Publications focus on ecosystem services, herbivore-plant interactions, and long-term ecological dynamics. He actively contributes to policy-relevant research, emphasizing science-policy interfaces in natural resource governance. Ongoing efforts include quantifying past land-use impacts and developing frameworks for upland landscape conservation.