Sara Cousins

Sara Cousins is a Professor in Physical Geography and Associate Professor (Docent) in Plant Ecology at Stockholm University. She leads the Biogeography and Geomatics research unit and co-leads the Biodiversity and Climate research area at the Bolin Climate Centre. Her work focuses on understanding how species and ecosystems respond to landscape changes, habitat fragmentation, and global environmental shifts.

Key research areas include the historical influences of human activity and livestock on plant communities, climate change impacts on fragmented habitats, and the role of connectivity in ecological systems. She directs major projects such as FUNgreen (Functional connectivity and green infrastructure, EU-funded) and LIM (Landscape indicators for biodiversity, SNV-funded). Her approach integrates plant community ecology with landscape analysis to address theoretical and conservation challenges.

Cousins collaborates internationally and mentors a team of postdocs and PhD students. She emphasizes linking ecosystem processes to landscape patterns and global change dynamics, with particular attention to biodiversity preservation strategies under climate uncertainty.