Karen Marie Mathisen

Karen Marie Mathisen is an Associate Professor at the University of Inland Norway, working within the Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology. She is affiliated with the Department of Forestry and Outback Studies and is based at the Evenstad campus. Her academic position places her at the intersection of forest management, wildlife ecology, and sustainable land use practices in boreal ecosystems.

Dr. Mathisen's research focuses on the complex interactions between large herbivores, particularly moose, and forest ecosystems. Her work examines how wildlife management practices, including hunting and predator-prey dynamics, influence habitat selection and forest regeneration. She investigates the impacts of cattle grazing in forested landscapes and develops sustainable forestry practices that accommodate multiple land uses. Her research interests also include human-wildlife conflicts, cross-border wildlife management between Norway and Sweden, and the ecological effects of large carnivores in anthropogenic landscapes.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on moose ecology and management, with particular attention to how human activities and carnivore presence shape moose behavior and population dynamics. She has pioneered research on drone-based wildlife monitoring techniques as alternatives to traditional ground surveys. Her work spans from field studies on browsing impacts to landscape-scale analyses of wildlife movement patterns and habitat selection. Dr. Mathisen frequently employs spatial analysis and comparative methodologies to address questions at the interface of ecology, forestry, and wildlife management.

Dr. Mathisen's research contributes significantly to the understanding of sustainable forest management in regions where multiple stakeholders—including forestry, agriculture, and hunting interests—interact with wildlife populations. She has been actively involved in projects like CarniForeGraze, which investigates grazing practices in forests with large carnivores present. Her work provides practical applications for developing integrated management strategies that balance ecological conservation with human land uses in boreal forest landscapes.