Dr Flurina Wartmann

Biography

• since August 2022: Senior Lecturer in Human Geography, Geography and Environment, University of Aberdeen
• June 2023 - August 2024 (80%): Researcher on Landscape Aesthetics at Oxford University's Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery
• since June 2023: Fellow of the Higher Education Academy / Advance HE (FHEA)
• August 2022 - present: Senior Lecturer in Human Geography, Geography and Environment, University of Aberdeen
• July 2020-July 2022: Lecturer Human Geography, Geography and Environment, University of Aberdeen
• 2018 - 2020 PostDoc at the Swiss Federal Research Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape on further developing the Swiss Landscape Monitoring Programme for the Federal Office of the Environment
• 2017 -2018 PostDoc at the Institute of Geography, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, UK. Project on mapping tranquillity as a landscape quality in a Scottish national park using interviews and social media data. Funded by SNSF.
• 2016 -2017: PostDoc at the Geography Department, University of Zurich, Switzerland. Project on combining quantitative and qualitative methods for assessing cultural landscape values from bottom-up descriptions. Funded by the cogito foundation.
• 2012 -2016: PhD in Geography at the University of Zurich. Title: From Space to Place in the Bolivian Amazon – Representing Landscape Perceptions with Ethnographic and GIS Approaches.
• 2009-2012 Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Development and Cooperation at nadel, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
• 2009-2012 Programme Coordination at the NGO Biovision Foundation: coordination and monitoring of sustainable development projects in East Africa
• 2009 Master in Geographic Information Science at the University of Zurich, Switzerland

Research Overview

I am leading the Transformative Landscapes Research lab that explores the complex relationships between society and nature in changing landscapes, with particular attention to questions of social and environmental justice in conservation, rewilding initiatives and human-wildlife coexistence. I am committed to understanding how environmental policies and interventions affect different communities and ensuring that conservation efforts are both ecologically effective and socially equitable.

I have expertise in creating comprehensive methodologies for cultural ecosystem assessment and social impact monitoring within conservation and landscape management contexts. My approach recognises that nature's value extends beyond ecological metrics to encompass place-based cultural values that link landscapes and communities.

My work employs interdisciplinary methodologies and draws from diverse data sources, including in-depth interviews, large-scale public surveys, social media imagery, and digitised textual materials such as hiking blogs and travel narratives. I analyse these varied datasets using both qualitative and quantitative approaches to build nuanced understanding of human-nature relationships.

Current Research

My work sits at the critical intersection of science and policy, where we develop innovative approaches to understanding how environmental interventions impact communities and shape public perceptions of changing landscapes. By integrating diverse disciplinary perspectives and methodologies, we generate evidence-based solutions for monitoring social outcomes and public attitudes in conservation contexts.

My research spans multiple geographic regions, with particular focus on the UK, Central and Eastern Europe, and selected international case studies that offer comparative insights into conservation challenges and opportunities.

As Social Science lead for NETGAIN, a prestigious multi-million pound Doctoral Focal Award funded by the Natural Environmental Research Council (NERC), I co-lead a new transdisciplinary doctoral training programme that brings together four UK universities alongside national and international partners to advance understanding of emerging nature markets and biodiversity offsetting as mechanisms to address the biodiversity crisis.

Past Research

I have secured over £5 million in research funding as PI and co-I from diverse international sources, including UKRI, the European Commission, Swiss National Science Foundation, and the Scottish Government. My collaborative networks span institutions across the UK and Europe, exemplified by a recent digital humanities project with computational linguists at King's College London examining semantic changes in concepts of wilderness, funded by the Carnegie Foundation.

My PhD research at the University of Zurich combined ethnographic and digital mapping approaches to study cultural landscape values in the Bolivian Amazon. During four years of postdoctoral research across multiple institutions, I developed expertise in place-based cultural landscape assessment, conducting, for instance, commissioned research on recreational landscapes in Switzerland for the Federal Ministry of the Environment.

This work has generated publications in leading international journals including Landscape and Urban Planning, People and Nature, PLoS One, and Applied Geography. Most recently, I undertook research at Oxford University's Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery, investigating the mediated politics of the aesthetics of nature recovery and completed commissioned work by Rewilding Europe developing a monitoring to assess the intangible impacts of rewilding on local communities. 

Teaching Responsibilities

I teach on nature-society relations, rewilding/nature recovery and social aspects of conservation across undergraduate and Master's level (see course list).

Supervision

I am interested to supervise students pursuing UG/PG and PhD dissertations on a range of topics, including, but not limited to: cultural landscape values, integrated landscape assessments, use and perception of urban green spaces, public attitudes on landscape change, rewilding, and conservation.

I was student-nominated as best undergraduate dissertation supervisor in 2022 and as best PhD supervisor in 2024.

Recent Master dissertations:

• Isaac, D.I.(2023): Retrofitting green infrastructure into areas of existing housing in deprived areas of Aberdeen City. MSc in Sustainability Transitions, University of Aberdeen. Main supervisor.
• Baghel, P. (2022): Challenges for Sustainability Transitions in the Scottish Wedding Industry. Dissertation for MSc in Sustainability Transition, University of Aberdeen. Main supervisor.
• D’Aloia – Thompson, M. (2022): Waste management challenges in transition towards a circular economy – Case of Malawi with recommendation of a waste analysis and characterization study in Area 24, Lilongwe. Dissertation for MSc Sustainability Transitions, University of Aberdeen. Main supervisor.
• Fulop, A. (2022): Aberdeenshire Council: An assessment of resource demand and opportunities for circularity. Dissertation for MSc Sustainability Transitions, University of Aberdeen. Main supervisor.
• Mills, F. (2022): Funding Scottish rewilding: an assessment of current and future funding sources utilised by open-ended ecological restoration projects. Dissertation for MSc Land Economy, University of Aberdeen. Main supervisor.
• McLennan, C. (2021): Perceptions of the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) reintroductions in Scotland. Dissertation for the Master in Land Economy, University of Aberdeen. Main supervisor.
• Cumming, S. (2021): Investigating the relationship between new entrants to agriculture and diversification: a focus on Scotland's agritourism. Dissertation for the Mater in Land Economy, University of Aberdeen. Main supervisor.

Recent Undergraduate dissertations:

• Pickering, K. (2024): Analysis of stakeholder attitudes and media regarding a recently designated Marine Protected Area near the Isle of Skye. MA in Geography, University of Aberdeen. Main supervisor.
• Cross, A. (2024): Perception of the proposed Aberdeen Beachfront development and its effects on sense of place. MA in Geography, University of Aberdeen. Main supervisor.
• Trebo S. (2023): Human-wildlife conflict: Attitudes on wolf conservation management in South Tyrol (Italy). Dissertation for BSc in Geography, University of Aberdeen. Main supervisor.
• Cox Ellames J. (2023): Perceptions of ecological impacts and potential management strategies of the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) in the Tayside catchment, Scotland. Dissertation for MA in Geography, University of Aberdeen. Main supervisor.
• Robbie Moody (2023): Assessing the quality and accessibility of Urban Green Spaces in Glasgow, Scotland. Dissertation for MA in Geography, University of Aberdeen. Main supervisor.
• Rory Shaw (2023): Attitudes Towards Electric Vehicle Adoption in Aberdeenshire and City. Dissertation for MA in Geography, University of Aberdeen. Main supervisor.
• Ogg, G. (2022): Spatially analysing the use of aesthetic terminology in historical accounts of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs. Dissertation for MA in Geography, University of Aberdeen. Main supervisor.
• Ritchie, E. (2022): Investigating sense of place experienced in greenspace locations on the Deeside Way. Dissertation for MA in Geography, University of Aberdeen. Main Supervisor. 
• McReal, C. (2022): Sense of place and use of outdoor spaces in Dundee: Investigating Covid-19’s impact. Dissertation for MA in Geography, University of Aberdeen. Main supervisor. 
• Smith, J.A. (2021): The role of green spaces in Aberdeen City during an ongoing pandemic. Dissertation for MA in Geography, University of Aberdeen. Main supervisor.
• Leafstedt, E. (2021): Identity, Sustainability, and the Growth Machine - Discourse Analysis of Urban redevelopment– A Case Study of the 2015 Aberdeen City Centre Masterplan. Dissertation for MA in Geography, University of Aberdeen. Main supervisor.