Maarten Jacobs

Maarten Jacobs is an Assistant Professor in Cultural Geography at Wageningen University, specializing in human emotions toward wildlife, socio-ecological systems, and decision-making in conservation contexts. His work bridges psychology, environmental science, and policy analysis.

• Research focuses on emotional responses to species like wolves and bats, integrating mental models into ecosystem management.
• Active in interdisciplinary projects such as participatory landscape heritage planning and virtual reality-based conservation education.

Recent publications analyze community-based forest governance in Peru, wolf reintroduction in the Netherlands, and bat conservation during the pandemic. His studies emphasize predictive validity of mental models and the role of values in risk perception.

He collaborates with researchers like Erle Huijbens, Rob van Beek, and Kasper Kok, advising PhD candidates on topics including social-ecological systems and nature-based recreation.