Sara Cousins

Sara Cousins is Professor of Physical Geography at Stockholm University's Department of Physical Geography, where she has served as head of department since 2022. She also holds the title of associate professor (Docent) in Plant Ecology, reflecting her dual expertise in physical geography and plant community ecology.

Her research combines plant community ecology and landscape history to explore effects of fragmentation and land use change on plant dispersal, community composition and diversity. She is particularly fascinated by how people, livestock and physical constraints have shaped plant communities over time, with new research challenges focusing on how changing climate and extreme weather events will affect biodiversity in fragmented habitats. Her work spans multiple research groups including Bats and Landscape Ecology, Historical Grassland Ecology, and Landscape Ecology.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals strong interdisciplinary trends connecting landscape ecology with climate change impacts, habitat fragmentation, and biodiversity conservation across multiple ecosystems including forests, grasslands, and coastal habitats. Her research demonstrates how microclimate, landscape connectivity, and species traits interact to determine ecological responses to environmental change.

As principal investigator, she leads several significant research projects including ECSTATIC (Exploring Causes of Species and Trait Alterations in Terrestrial ecosystems) funded by VR, and Shore meadows: habitats on the move funded by FORMAS. She previously led FUNgreen (Functional connectivity and green infrastructure) funded by Biodiversa/EU and Landscape indicators for biodiversity funded by SNV.

Professor Cousins currently supervises multiple PhD students and postdocs including Jessica Lindgren, Heather Wood, Lukas Rimondini, and others, while maintaining active research collaborations across Europe. Her work emphasizes practical applications for conservation and management, particularly regarding the importance of functional connectivity for species persistence in fragmented landscapes.

She has established several research teams focusing on bats and landscape ecology, historical grassland ecology, and general landscape ecology patterns. Her BatMapper project utilizes citizen science to capture information on bats and their roosting locations in Sweden, while other teams investigate drought impacts on grasslands, carbon sequestration in species-rich grasslands, and landscape indicators for biodiversity.