Tobias Kuemmerle
@tkuemmerle.bsky.social
Geographer @ Humboldt-University Berlin. | working on land use and its impact on biodiversity
October 31, 2025 at 8:15 AM
Socio-economic shocks are fairly common, especially at broader scales (key for large carnivores) and longer time frames (key for conservation planning). Consider shocks, and the risks and potential opportunities they bring is thus critically important (but rarely done).
October 23, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Socio-economic shocks are fairly common, especially at broader scales (key for large carnivores) and longer time frames (key for conservation planning). Consider shocks, and the risks and potential opportunities they bring is thus critically important (but rarely done).
Key finding across cases: central role of institutions in mediating shock impacts - determining whether impacts ar positive or negative.
October 23, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Key finding across cases: central role of institutions in mediating shock impacts - determining whether impacts ar positive or negative.
We developed a framework, rooted in social-ecological systems theory, to identify key pathways of how shocks impact large carnivores - and exemplify this framework with three case studies (jaguars, snow leopards, Asiatic cheetah)
@biogeoberlin.bsky.social @arashghoddousi.bsky.social
@biogeoberlin.bsky.social @arashghoddousi.bsky.social
October 23, 2025 at 1:35 PM
We developed a framework, rooted in social-ecological systems theory, to identify key pathways of how shocks impact large carnivores - and exemplify this framework with three case studies (jaguars, snow leopards, Asiatic cheetah)
@biogeoberlin.bsky.social @arashghoddousi.bsky.social
@biogeoberlin.bsky.social @arashghoddousi.bsky.social
Socio-economic shocks (e.g., wars, pandemics, economic crises) can cause deep changes in social-ecological systems - how does this impact biodiversity?
New paper by @ranjmurali.bsky.social out in @peopleandnature.bsky.social that explores this question for large carnivores 👉 buff.ly/9NLJij4
New paper by @ranjmurali.bsky.social out in @peopleandnature.bsky.social that explores this question for large carnivores 👉 buff.ly/9NLJij4
October 23, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Socio-economic shocks (e.g., wars, pandemics, economic crises) can cause deep changes in social-ecological systems - how does this impact biodiversity?
New paper by @ranjmurali.bsky.social out in @peopleandnature.bsky.social that explores this question for large carnivores 👉 buff.ly/9NLJij4
New paper by @ranjmurali.bsky.social out in @peopleandnature.bsky.social that explores this question for large carnivores 👉 buff.ly/9NLJij4
Overall, this shows a major homogenization across snake communities, driven by land use change. This could lead to major knock-on effects (loss of key ecosystem functioning and services) as entire functional groups of snakes are lost in many places.
October 19, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Overall, this shows a major homogenization across snake communities, driven by land use change. This could lead to major knock-on effects (loss of key ecosystem functioning and services) as entire functional groups of snakes are lost in many places.
Surprising finding: more winners than losers of land-use change! Yet, habitat specialist (semiarboreal and semifossorial species) consistently lose out, while many generalist species are winners. Important: many specialist species are data deficient and we could not model them.
October 19, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Surprising finding: more winners than losers of land-use change! Yet, habitat specialist (semiarboreal and semifossorial species) consistently lose out, while many generalist species are winners. Important: many specialist species are data deficient and we could not model them.
We modeled 72 out of 142 snake species in the Chaco, using time-calibrated SDM 👉 this allowed us to reconstruct habitat change 1985-2020.
Main result: major decline in taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic snake diversity in the Chaco (in >75% of all snake communities) due to land-use change.
Main result: major decline in taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic snake diversity in the Chaco (in >75% of all snake communities) due to land-use change.
October 19, 2025 at 3:08 PM
We modeled 72 out of 142 snake species in the Chaco, using time-calibrated SDM 👉 this allowed us to reconstruct habitat change 1985-2020.
Main result: major decline in taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic snake diversity in the Chaco (in >75% of all snake communities) due to land-use change.
Main result: major decline in taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic snake diversity in the Chaco (in >75% of all snake communities) due to land-use change.
Deforestation leads to an erosion of snake diversity in the #GranChaco. Paper led by Hugo Cabral just out in @consbiog.bsky.social 👉 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.... #Chaco #herptiles @biogeoberlin.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu #TropicalDryForests
October 19, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Deforestation leads to an erosion of snake diversity in the #GranChaco. Paper led by Hugo Cabral just out in @consbiog.bsky.social 👉 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.... #Chaco #herptiles @biogeoberlin.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu #TropicalDryForests
Great to have Meredith visit us today! Working with her and Ricardo Torres on the paleoecology of the fantastic #macrauchenia, according to Darwin the `strangest animal ever discovered`!
October 7, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Great to have Meredith visit us today! Working with her and Ricardo Torres on the paleoecology of the fantastic #macrauchenia, according to Darwin the `strangest animal ever discovered`!
Integrating this with datasets on land-use change (from @matthiasbaumann.bsky.social - iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1...) allowed us to estimate forest loss in these footprints:
September 23, 2025 at 6:38 AM
Integrating this with datasets on land-use change (from @matthiasbaumann.bsky.social - iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1...) allowed us to estimate forest loss in these footprints:
This analysis started with a comprehensive mapping of the area used by Indigenous communities for different activities - better quantifying the resource footprints of these communities is in itself an important outcome of this work:
September 23, 2025 at 6:38 AM
This analysis started with a comprehensive mapping of the area used by Indigenous communities for different activities - better quantifying the resource footprints of these communities is in itself an important outcome of this work:
Using participatory mapping and satellite-based analyses, we show that 400 Indigenous communities in the Argentine Chaco
- lost on average 21% of the forests they use
- saw a decline of up to 35% in ecosystem service provisioning
- face increasing restrictions in terms of accessing resources
- lost on average 21% of the forests they use
- saw a decline of up to 35% in ecosystem service provisioning
- face increasing restrictions in terms of accessing resources
September 23, 2025 at 6:38 AM
Using participatory mapping and satellite-based analyses, we show that 400 Indigenous communities in the Argentine Chaco
- lost on average 21% of the forests they use
- saw a decline of up to 35% in ecosystem service provisioning
- face increasing restrictions in terms of accessing resources
- lost on average 21% of the forests they use
- saw a decline of up to 35% in ecosystem service provisioning
- face increasing restrictions in terms of accessing resources
Using a rich interview survey, we derive five key types of land-use agents in the Chaco, based on their capital assets, land management activities and personal characteristics. All these dimensions were important to not lump actors together (and thus oversimplify)! #archetyping
September 18, 2025 at 8:50 AM
Using a rich interview survey, we derive five key types of land-use agents in the Chaco, based on their capital assets, land management activities and personal characteristics. All these dimensions were important to not lump actors together (and thus oversimplify)! #archetyping
Data can be explored here: hu.berlin/Feedlots
June 17, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Data can be explored here: hu.berlin/Feedlots
Sizeable share of all cattle in the Dry Diagonal ecoregions in feedlots - remember: this is ignored in broad-scale 'grazing' or livestock system maps
June 17, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Sizeable share of all cattle in the Dry Diagonal ecoregions in feedlots - remember: this is ignored in broad-scale 'grazing' or livestock system maps
Some key findings:
- 250+ large feedlots identified, mostly in #Cerrado and #Chaco
- more than 3000 medium-sized feeding operations
- widespread pasture intensification (supplementary feeding)
- feedlots mainly away from the active deforestation frontier
- very robust method (97% user’s accuracy)
- 250+ large feedlots identified, mostly in #Cerrado and #Chaco
- more than 3000 medium-sized feeding operations
- widespread pasture intensification (supplementary feeding)
- feedlots mainly away from the active deforestation frontier
- very robust method (97% user’s accuracy)
June 17, 2025 at 4:32 PM
We use #Sentinel 1 and 2 imagery to reliably map three types of confinement areas: (a) large feedlots, (b) other concentrated animal feeding operations, and (c) supplementary feeding areas.
June 17, 2025 at 4:32 PM
We use #Sentinel 1 and 2 imagery to reliably map three types of confinement areas: (a) large feedlots, (b) other concentrated animal feeding operations, and (c) supplementary feeding areas.
Feedlots are becoming increasingly common across South America. Feedlots could potentially lessen pressure on tropical forests - but they are also connected to major environmental & animal welfare. Yet: we know little about the spatial distribution of feedlots.
June 17, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Feedlots are becoming increasingly common across South America. Feedlots could potentially lessen pressure on tropical forests - but they are also connected to major environmental & animal welfare. Yet: we know little about the spatial distribution of feedlots.
🐄🐂 Putting landless cattle on the map! 🐄🐂
New paper in Env. Research Letters on mapping cattle intensification from space - across South America's dry diagonal doi.org/10.1088/1748... @erc.europa.eu @matthiasbaumann.bsky.social @pedrofernandez91.bsky.social #SystemShift @biogeoberlin.bsky.social
New paper in Env. Research Letters on mapping cattle intensification from space - across South America's dry diagonal doi.org/10.1088/1748... @erc.europa.eu @matthiasbaumann.bsky.social @pedrofernandez91.bsky.social #SystemShift @biogeoberlin.bsky.social
June 17, 2025 at 4:32 PM
🐄🐂 Putting landless cattle on the map! 🐄🐂
New paper in Env. Research Letters on mapping cattle intensification from space - across South America's dry diagonal doi.org/10.1088/1748... @erc.europa.eu @matthiasbaumann.bsky.social @pedrofernandez91.bsky.social #SystemShift @biogeoberlin.bsky.social
New paper in Env. Research Letters on mapping cattle intensification from space - across South America's dry diagonal doi.org/10.1088/1748... @erc.europa.eu @matthiasbaumann.bsky.social @pedrofernandez91.bsky.social #SystemShift @biogeoberlin.bsky.social
We also found a high co-occurrence of land claiming and the disappearance of forest-dependent smallholders (which me mapped here --> doi.org/10.1073/pnas...). More work from the ER project SystemShift here: hu.berlin/SystemShift
June 11, 2025 at 10:07 AM
We also found a high co-occurrence of land claiming and the disappearance of forest-dependent smallholders (which me mapped here --> doi.org/10.1073/pnas...). More work from the ER project SystemShift here: hu.berlin/SystemShift
In this paper, we used remote sensing analyses to detect linear features indicative of 'land claiming' that precede #deforestation and to assess when they emerged --> key result: large areas of the Chaco have been claimed, highlighting where future deforestation frontiers will emerge
June 11, 2025 at 10:07 AM
In this paper, we used remote sensing analyses to detect linear features indicative of 'land claiming' that precede #deforestation and to assess when they emerged --> key result: large areas of the Chaco have been claimed, highlighting where future deforestation frontiers will emerge
Expanding commodity agriculture is a major driver of tropical deforestation, but we normally only see the outcome of this process (i.e. deforestation) - in other words, when it is too late.
June 11, 2025 at 10:07 AM
Expanding commodity agriculture is a major driver of tropical deforestation, but we normally only see the outcome of this process (i.e. deforestation) - in other words, when it is too late.
Mapping deforestation frontiers - before deforestation happens! Check out the work by @o-delgiorgio.bsky.social together with @biogeoberlin.bsky.social on mapping land control dynamics in the South American #Chaco - just published on PNAS #Sentinel-2 #Landsat @humboldtuni.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu
June 11, 2025 at 10:07 AM
Mapping deforestation frontiers - before deforestation happens! Check out the work by @o-delgiorgio.bsky.social together with @biogeoberlin.bsky.social on mapping land control dynamics in the South American #Chaco - just published on PNAS #Sentinel-2 #Landsat @humboldtuni.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu
We are looking for candidates with experience in wildlife ecology and/or remote sensing - and a passion for quantitative analyses and spatial data handling (e.g., in #R, #GEE, #pyhton).
Apply here or via email: www.euraxess.de/jobs/349086
Apply here or via email: www.euraxess.de/jobs/349086
June 7, 2025 at 7:06 AM
We are looking for candidates with experience in wildlife ecology and/or remote sensing - and a passion for quantitative analyses and spatial data handling (e.g., in #R, #GEE, #pyhton).
Apply here or via email: www.euraxess.de/jobs/349086
Apply here or via email: www.euraxess.de/jobs/349086