Per Knutsson

Human Ecology
PhD, teacher, researcher

About

• Bachelor degree in behavioral science
• Master degree in international migration and ethnic relations
• Doctor in Human Ecology 2007
• Senior lecturer in Human Ecology

Areas of research

Inter- and transdisciplinary research on environment and development. Studies on rural livelihoods in Central America, Asia and Africa. Questions related to the implementation of sustainable development as theory and practice. Adaptation to climate change in semi-arid areas and in coastal urban areas. Sustainability analysis of local socio-ecological systems.

Current research

Trees, Carbon and Groundwater: Trade-off or synergy in local adaptation to climate change in the semi-arid tropics.
Project financed by Sida 2010 – 2012.

SECOA (Solutions to Environmental Contrasts in Coastal Areas).
FP 7 EU-projekt 2010 – 2013 on the significance of global change and human mobility for sustainable urban development in 17 European and Asian coastal cities.

Climate-adapted city structure: Scenarios for future Frihamnen.
Pilot-project financed by Mistra Urban Futures 2010 – 2011, exploring three different climate adaptation strategies for the Frihamnen area in central Gothenburg.

Analyzing the sustainability of the Burkina Faso Parklands in the face of changing economic, policy and climate conditions.
Project financed by Sida 2012 – 2014

Expansion and changing use of leisure crafts along the Swedish coast: Socio-cultural drivers, spatial behavior and impacts on coastal marine ecosystems.
PhD-project financed by the Centre for Marine Environmental Research at the University of Gothenburg. The project is conducted in close cooperation with researchers in Marine Ecology at the University of Gothenburg.

The effects of climate induced changes in the Arabian Sea on marine and coastal socio-ecological systems in India.
PhD-project financed by the Centre for Marine Environmental Research at the University of Gothenburg. The project is conducted in close cooperation with researchers in Marine Ecology at the University of Gothenburg. 

Teaching and tutoring

• Director of undergraduate studien in Human Ecology 2006 – 2010
• Responsible for the Human Ecology profile within the Social Science Environmental Studies Program 2006 - 2010
• Program Director for the international and advanced Sida-training program on Integrated and Sustainable Coastal Development 2010 – 2012
• Director of the Graduate School in Marine Environmental Research at the University of Gotheburg 2012-

I am/have been main teacher/course coordinator for a number of courses in Human Ecology and global studies (1st and 2nd cycle programs), including the courses Sustainable Cities, Global Challenges, Thematic Issues, Research Design and Methods in Global Studies, and Adaptation to Global Environmental Change.