Ida Theilade

Ida Theilade is a Professor in the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management within the Faculty of Science at the University of Copenhagen. Her academic work focuses on Forest and Landscape Ecology, with particular expertise in tropical forest management and conservation. She has maintained an active research and teaching career for over 25 years, establishing herself as a leading expert in the intersection of indigenous knowledge systems and natural resource management.

Professor Theilade's research interests span several interconnected areas including indigenous knowledge systems, natural resource management in relation to agricultural systems and tropical forests, ethnobotanical studies, and the relationship between livelihoods, poverty, and conservation. Her work explores how local knowledge and institutions can contribute to monitoring, sustainable use, and conservation efforts. Current research focuses on REDD+ and its co-benefits for biodiversity and development, palm oil certification, and environmental activism, with significant fieldwork conducted in Southeast Asia, particularly in Cambodia's Prey Lang, Preah Rokar, and Sorng Rokha Vorn wildlife sanctuaries.

Her recent publications reveal a strong emphasis on community-based monitoring approaches, citizen science with marginalized and indigenous communities, climate change impacts on ecosystems and livelihoods, and conservation genetics of endangered species. The research demonstrates interdisciplinary collaboration across ecology, social sciences, and policy domains, often involving large international research teams.

Professor Theilade teaches Applied Ethnobotany as part of the MSc program on Sustainable Tropical Forestry and serves as a regular guest teacher in International Nature Management, Tropical Botany, and Conservation and Management of Forest Genetic Resources courses. She also works as a consultant on conservation planning, REDD+, and rainforest rehabilitation projects.

She is an active member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission on threatened trees, contributing her expertise to global conservation efforts. Her research has received significant attention, with multiple publications picked up by news outlets, referenced in policy sources, and widely shared on social media platforms.