Sara's research addresses the interface of urban development and nature conservation from a landscape governance perspective. Her PhD thesis in natural resource management titled “Urban shades of green. Current patterns and future prospects of nature conservation in urban landscapes” explored the social and ecological aspects of establishing protected areas in urban landscapes and was empirically based in a number of quantitative and qualitative studies in Sweden. During her 2 year (2012-2014) postdoctoral position at SRC she will further extend this research focusing on two main themes: 1) Boundaries in landscape governance and 2) Reframing processes in nature conservation policies. The studies will be performed at multiple societal levels in the Mälardalen region especially exploring i) the emergence of regional collaborations as responses to gaps in policy structures, ii) the dynamics of shoreline management under biogeophysical and social change and iii) the implementation of the concept of ecosystem services in Swedish nature conservation policy and practice in urbanising regions.
Sara is since several years involved in the work of the SRC theme “Urban social-ecological systems”. Her postdoctoral position is within the Ekoklim program at Stockholm University and the theme “Adaptive Governance” which is hosted by SRC and lead by Dr Emily Boyd and Dr Örjan Bodin.
