Dr. Lisa Lehnen

Portrait Dr. Lisa Lehnen
© K. Hiller

Associate Fellow

Fortstraße 7, 76829 Landau
Building I, Room 2.28

03/2025 - todayPostdoctoral Researcher in the Research Group Human Geography, Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Kaiserslautern-Landau
09/2019 - 08/2025Postdoctoral Researcher in the working group Movement Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation at the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Center, Germany
07/2020 - todayExternal Lecturer at Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany
04/2015 - 11/2018PhD candidate at Greifswald University, Germany
04/2015 - 06/2018Research assistant in the working group Applied Zoology and Conservation, Greifswald University, Germany
01/2017-02/2017Visiting researcher at the Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Health, INRAE, Rennes, France
01/2016-04/2016Visiting researcher at the Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Health, INRAE, Rennes, France
04/2024-10/2014Research intern at the Ecology working group of Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
10/2010 - 09/2013Master of Science in Organism Biology and Evolution at Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
04/2012-07/2012Conservation and research volunteer at Naturschutzstation Rhinluch, Linum, Germany
10/2007 - 09/2010Bachelor of Science in Biology at Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany

Projects

  • Kili-SES2: "The role of nature for human well-being in the Kilimanjaro social-ecological system", sub-project 2, "Supply of beneficial and detrimental nature's contributions to people and their regulation through ecological networks". Funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). Period: 10/2025-04/2029. Role: PI of the work package "Perceived versus potential supply of beneficial and detrimental nature's contributions to people" and Co-PI of two other work packages.
  • Effective interventions for sustainable citizen behavior. Funded by Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst e.V. (DAAD) as part of the Programme for Project-Related Personal Exchange (Germany - Australia. Period: 01/2026 - 12/2027. Role: PI Germany (PI Australia: Lily van Eeden).

Former projects

  • CE-NRM: "Applying Cultural Evolutionary Science to Inform Decision-Making and Policy, Improve Social and Ecological Outcomes, and Adapt Processes and Institutions in Natural Resource Management and Conservation". Funding by the Cultural Evolution Society Transformation Fund. Period: 09/2022 - 08/2024. Role: Co-PI

Research Focus

  • Human-nature relationships
  • Social-ecological systems
  • Conflict and coexistence with wildlife, particularly wolves
  • Conservation culture and conflicts
  • Impacts of nature on people's quality of life
  • Pathways to sustainable behavior

Geographic focus

  • Tanzania
  • Germany
  • Australia
  • Global-scale studies

Theories

  • Conceptual Framework of IPBES (Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services)
  • Nature Futures Framework
  • Theory of Planned Behavior
  • Wildlife Hazard Acceptance Model

Concepts

  • Value pluralism; intrinsic, instrumental, and relational values
  • Wildlife Value Orientations
  • Attitude and behavior change

Methods

  • Interdisciplinary, social-ecological research
  • Face-to-face surveys and interviews with local communities
  • Large-scale online surveys
  • Non-verbal qualitative methods (e.g., using visuals)
  • Participatory scenario planning workshops

University of Kaiserlautern-Landau (RPTU), LandauSeminar: Models and scenarios used for environmental challenges and human responses. Master program Environmental Challenges and Human Responses (ENCHURE). Every winter semester.
Practical: Simulations of human responses (to environmental challenges). Master program Environmental Challenges and Human Responses (ENCHURE). Every winter semester.
Seminar: Special Regional Geography Europe/External Europe. Master of Education Geography(Realschule plus / Gymnasium), double Bachelor with basic subject Geography. Every semester.
Practical: Exercise abroad. Master of Education Geography(Realschule plus / Gymnasium), double Bachelor with basic subject Geography. Every semester.
Goethe University FrankfurtPractical: Species distribution modeling (part of the course Ecology of Animals). Bachelor of Science Biosciences (summer semesters 2020-2025)

Journal articles

Berl, R. E. W., Fisk, J. J., van Eeden, L. M., Salerno, J., Fernández-Llamazares, Á., Leong, K. M., Long, J. W., Boomer, G. S., Williams, C. K., Arbieu, U., Lehnen, L., Landon, A. C., Ellis, E. C., Verschuuren, B., Larson, L. R., & Gavin, M. C. (2025). Foundational principles of an applied cultural evolutionary science for natural resource management and conservation. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 380(1940), 20240262. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2024.0262

Degano, M. E., Augustino Kwaslema, S., Böhning-Gaese, K., Hemp, A., Lehnen, L., Martín-López, B., Pearson, J., Mueller, T., & Arbieu, U. (2025). Perceptions of nature and its non-material contributions to people at Mount Kilimanjaro. People and Nature, 7(7), 1697-1712. https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.70079

van Eeden, L. M., Martin, J. V., Fisk, J., Lehnen, L., Ellis, E. C., Gavin, M. C., Landon, A. C., Larson, L. R., Leong, K. M., Linklater, W., Williams, C. K., & Berl, R. E. W. (2025). Species nativeness as a cultural paradigm in conservation. Biological Conservation, 311, 111415. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111415

Weber, E. M. G., Lehnen, L., Lombardi, D., & Brod, G. (2025). Practice testing enhances learning but not attitude change from persuasive texts. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 32935. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-20874-1

Arbieu, U.; Taysse, L.; Gimenez, O.; Lehnen, L.; Mueller, T. (2024): Emotional States Elicited by Wolf Videos are Diverse and Explain General Attitudes Towards Wolves. People and Nature,6(3), 1288-1302. https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10637 . Open access.

Arbieu, U.; Albrecht, J.; Böhning-Gaese, K.; Lehnen, L.; Schleuning, M.; Mueller, T. (2023): The Attitudinal Space Framework: Embracing the Multidimensionality of Attitudinal Diversity. iScience, 26(8), 107340. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2023.107340 . Open access.

Naef, T.; Besnard, A.-L.; Lehnen, L.; Petit, E. J.; van Schaik, J.; Puechmaille, S. J. (2023): How to Quantify Factors Degrading DNA in the Environment and Predict Degradation for Effective Sampling Design. Environmental DNA, 5(3), 403-416. https://doi.org/10.1002/edn3.414 .

Lehnen, L.; Arbieu, U.; Böhning-Gaese, K.; Díaz, S.; Glikman, J. A.; Mueller, T. (2022): Rethinking Individual Relationships with Entities of Nature. People and Nature, 4(3), 596-611. https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10296 . Open access.

Lehnen, L.§; Jan, P.-L. §; Besnard, A.-L.; Fourcy, D.; Kerth, G.; Biedermann, M.; Nyssen, P.; Schorcht, W.; Petit, E. J.; Puechmaille, S. J. (2021): Genetic Diversity in a Long-lived Mammal is Explained by the Past's Demographic Shadow and Current Connectivity. Molecular Ecology, 30(20), 5048-5063. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.16123 . Open access §Lehnen& Jan contributed equally to this work.

Lehnen, L.; Mueller, T.; Reinhardt, I.; Kaczensky, P.; Arbieu, U. (2021): Social attitudes towards the return of the wolf to Germany. Nature and Landscape, Focus issue: Lynx and wolf back in Germany, 27-33. https://shop.kohlhammer.de/gesellschaftliche-einstellungen-zur-ruckkehr-des-wolfs-nach-deutschland-978-3-00-153871-0.html

de Boon, A.; Sandström, C.; Arbieu, U.; Hansen, I.; Lehnen, L.; Marino, A.; Pohja-Mykrä, M.; Risvoll, C.; Strand, G.-H.; Rønningen, K. (2021): Governing Dual Objectives Within Single Policy Mixes: An Empirical Analysis of Large Carnivore Policies in Six European Countries. Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning, 23(4), 399-413. https://doi.org/10.1080/1523908X.2020.1841614 . Open access.

Jan, P.-L. §; Lehnen, L. §; Besnard, A.-L.; Kerth, G.; Biedermann, M.; Schorcht, W.; Petit, E. J.; Le Gouar, P.; Puechmaille, S. J. (2019): Range Expansion is Associated with Increased Survival and Fecundity in a Long-lived Bat Species. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 286(1906), 20190384. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2019.0384 §Lehnen& Jan contributed equally to this work.

Zarzoso-Lacoste, D.; Jan, P.; Lehnen, L.; Girard, T.; Besnard, A.; Puechmaille, S. J.; Petit, E. J. (2018): Combining Noninvasive Genetics and a New Mammalian Sex-linked Marker Provides New Tools to Investigate Population Size, Structure and Individual Behavior: An Application to Bats. Molecular Ecology Resources, 18(2), 217-228. https://doi. org/10.1111/1755-0998.12727

Lehnen, L.; Schorcht, W.; Karst, I.; Biedermann, M.; Kerth, G.; Puechmaille, S. J. (2018): Using Approximate Bayesian Computation to Infer Sex Ratios from Acoustic Data. PLOS ONE, 13(6), e0199428. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0199428 . Open access.