Luke McKinnon Brander

Dr. Luke McKinnon Brander is a Research Fellow in the Department of Physical Geography and Landscape Ecology at the Institute of Earth System Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Leibniz University Hannover. His work focuses on environmental economics, particularly the valuation of ecosystem services and the development of economic instruments for environmental management. He is actively involved in the SELINA research project (2022-2027) as project staff.

Brander's research spans ecosystem service valuation across diverse biomes including marine ecosystems, mangroves, coral reefs, wetlands, forests, grasslands, and urban green spaces. He employs primary economic valuation methods such as discrete choice experiments, hedonic pricing, travel cost, and avoided damage costs, while advancing meta-analyses for value transfer in ecosystem assessments. His methodological expertise bridges theoretical economics with practical conservation applications.

Recent publications (2023-2025) reveal a consistent focus on quantifying non-market values of biodiversity across global contexts—from vultures in Southern Africa to marine turtles in the Asia-Pacific. His work increasingly addresses climate change impacts on ecosystem services, equity dimensions in conservation, and policy-relevant valuation frameworks for nature-based solutions. The research demonstrates strong interdisciplinary collaboration across European and international institutions.

Brander contributes to the SELINA project (Science for Evidence-based and sustainable decisions about natural capital), a major European research initiative developing best practices for ecosystem service assessments in policy. Though no formal students are documented, his collaborative projects involve multiple researchers across institutions. He operates within the Physical Geography Group at Leibniz University Hannover, contributing to the institute's focus on earth system dynamics and human-environment interactions.