Prof. Dr. Christine Schmitt

Chair of Physical Geography with a focus on Human-Environment Research

Phone: +49(0)851/509-2738

Research Focus

The Chair of Physical Geography with a focus on Human-Environment Research evaluates the interactions between the natural environment, human resource use and recent environmental change. Our research supports the development of strategies for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and natural resources considering physiographic settings and societal demands. Prof. Christine Schmitt is a Landscape Ecologist specialized in Vegetation Geography and with experience in international policy deliberation. She is particularly interested in how climate and land use change affect biodiversity and ecosystem services of tropical and temperate forests and forest landscapes. The geographical focus of her research is in Europe and East Africa. Research at the Chair of Physical Geography is based on different methodological approaches such as vegetation assessments, tree ring analysis, remote sensing and interviews and we collaborate with diverse partners in inter- and transdisciplinary research projects. Soon we will have a teaching and research laboratory, which is currently under construction.

Ongoing research projects

WATERWISE: Co-designing sustainable management solutions for resilient Alpine headwaters (2024-2027, with University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Italy, and many other European partners), funded by the EU Interreg Alpine Space programme

Plants & Politics: Plant cover and politics in desertification-affected areas (2024-2026, with University of Leipzig and University Halle-Wittenberg), funded by the LeipzigLab

EU Erasmus+ BESTNATURE: Boosting EU Biodiversity STrategy by empowering high education curricula and green skills for NATURE protection and restoration (2023-2026, with University of Tuscia, University of Bologna, University of Graz, Carinthia University of Applied Sciences and E.C.O. – Institute for Ecology, Austria)

LIFE PROGNOSES: LIFE PRotection of Old Growth Forests in Europe: Natural heritage, Outline, Synthesis and Ecosystem Services - Strengthening primary and old growth forest protection in Europe by capitalising on World Heritage sites. (2021-2024, involved in work packages 1 and 2, with Northwest German Forest Research Institute (NW-FVA) and many other partners)

BioCult: Culture and Conservation – Harnessing synergies between cultural traditions and biodiversity protection (2021-2024, leader vegetation group, with Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg and many other partners)

Selected past research projects

Improving dietary quality and livelihoods using farm and wild biodiversity through an integrated community-based approach in Kenya (2019-2023, leader wild edible plants group, with Bioversity International, Nairobi, Kenya, and many other partners)

Organizational sense-making, innovation, and adaptation in response to extreme exogenous jolts – The responses of natural parks in Ukraine to the Russian onslaught in 2022 (2022-2023, cooperation project with refugee scientists from the Ukraine and many other partners funded by the Volkswagen Foundation

Reconciling human livelihood needs and nature conservation in East African forest biodiversity hotspots(2016-2019, leader vegetation group)

BiomassWeb - Improving food security in Africa through increased system productivity of biomass-based value webs(2015-2018, project coordinator)

Floristic composition and affinities of the Ethiopian coffee forest vegetation(2009-2013, project lead)

The protection of forests under global biodiversity and climate policy (2009-2013, sub-project lead)

Recent Publications

2024

Chala D, Gizaw A, Thorn JPR, Cuni Sanchez A, Eilu G, Demissew S, Hemp C, Hemp A, Schmitt CB, Marchant R & Brochmann C. 2024. The sky islands in eastern Africa: biodiversity, opportunities, and risks. In: Schneiderbauer S, Pisa PF, Shroder JF, Szarzynski J (eds.): Safeguarding Mountain Social-Ecological Systems. Vol 2: Building Transformative Resilience in Mountain Regions Worldwide. Elsevier, ISBN: 9780443328244, 97-106

Oluoch WA, Borgemeister C, de Deus Vidal J, Fremout T, Gaisberger H, Whitney C, Schmitt CB. 2024. Predicted changes in distribution and richness of wild edible plants under climate change scenarios in northwestern Kenya. Regional Environmental Change 24:11, 1-15. (Open Access)

2023

de Deus Vidal J, Schmitt CB, Koch I. 2023. Comparative richness patterns of range sizes and life forms of Apocynaceae along forest–savanna transitions in Brazil. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 204(3), 230-241. (Open Access)

Kung’u GN, Cousseau L, Githiru M, Habel JC, Kinyanjui M, Matheka K, Schmitt CB, Seifert T, Teucher M, Lens L & Apfelbeck B. 2023. Anthropogenic activities affect forest structure and arthropod abundance in a Kenyan biodiversity hotspot. Biodiversity and Conservation, 32: 3255-3282. (Open Access)

Oluoch WA, Whitney C, Termote C, Borgemeister C & Schmitt CB. 2023. Indigenous communities’ perceptions reveal threats and management options of wild edible plants in semiarid lands of northwestern Kenya. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 19: 13. (Open Access)

San SM, Biber-Freudenberger L, Kumar N & Schmitt CB. 2023. Agroforestry-based community forestry as a large-scale strategy to reforest agricultural encroachment areas in Myanmar: ambition vs. local reality. Annals of Forest Science, 80(27): 15. (Open Access)

2022

Avilés Irahola D, Mora-Motta A, Barbosa Pereira A, Bharati L, Biber-Freudenberger L, Petersheim C, Quispe-Zuniga MR, Schmitt CB & Youkhana E. 2022. Integrating scientific and local knowledge to address environmental conflicts: the role of academia. Human Ecology, doi: 10.1007/s10745-022-00344-2. (Open Access)

Akoto DS, Partey ST, Abugre S, Akoto S, Denich M, Borgemeister C & Schmitt CB. 2022. Comparative analysis of leaf litter decomposition and nutrient release patterns of bamboo and traditional species in agroforestry system in Ghana. Cleaner Materials, 4: 100068. (Open Access)

Oluoch WA, Whitney CW, Termote C, Borgemeister C & Schmitt CB. 2022. Integrated participatory approach reveals perceived local availability of wild edible plants in Northwestern Kenya. Human Ecology, doi: 10.1007/s10745-022-00370-0. (Open Access)

Vandekerkhove K, Meyer P, Kirchmeir H, Piovesan G, Hirschmugl M, Larrieu L, Kozák D, Mikoláš M, Nagel T, Schmitt C & Blumröder J. 2022. Old-growth criteria and indicators for beech forests (Fageta). Report, LIFE-PROGNOSES - Work Package 1.11, pp. 51. (Open Access)

2021

Brackhane S, Klein B, Reif A & Schmitt CB. 2021. Implementing the 2% wilderness goal in Germany – The National Natural Heritage Site Rechlin as a case study. Journal for Nature Conservation, 64: 126067.

Brackhane S, Reif A, Zin E & Schmitt CB. 2021. Are natural disturbances represented in strictly protected areas in Germany? Global Ecology and Conservation, e01436: 21. (Open Access)

Cuni-Sanchez A & 101 co-authors, including Schmitt CB. 2021. High aboveground carbon stock of African tropical montane forests. Nature, 596: 536-542.

2020

Akoto DS, Partey ST, Denich M, Kwaku M, Borgemeister C & Schmitt CB. 2020. Towards bamboo agroforestry development in Ghana: evaluation of crop performance, soil properties and economic benefit. Agroforestry Systems, 94: 1759-1780. (Open Access)

Akoto DS, Partey ST, Denich M, Kwaku M, Borgemeister C & Schmitt CB. 2020. Environmental and financial assessment of producing bioenergy from Bambusa balcooa, Anogeissus leiocarpa and Senna siamea in Ghana. Journal of Cleaner Production, 275: 123147.

Aleman JC & 32 co-authors, including Schmitt CB. 2020. Floristic evidence for alternative biome states in tropical Africa. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 117(45): 28183-28190.

Avilés-Irahola D, Beuchelt T, Schmitt CB, Nischalke S, Youkhana E & Geiger F. 2020. Gender inequalities show and deepen in times of pandemic. ZEF blog post.

Callo-Concha D, Jaenicke H, Schmitt CB & Denich M. 2020. Food and non-food biomass production, processing and use in sub-Saharan Africa: Towards a regional bioeconomy, Editorial. Sustainability, 12(5): 2013. (Open Access)

Callo-Concha D, Jaenicke H, Schmitt CB & Denich M (Eds.). 2020. Advances in Food and Non-Food Biomass Production, Processing and Use in Sub-Saharan Africa: Towards a Basis for a Regional Bioeconomy. Edited book (434 pages), MDPI. Basel, Switzerland. (Open Access)

Habel JC, Nzau JM, Apfelbeck B, Bendzko T, Fischer C, Kimatu JN, Mwakumanya MA, Maghenda M, Mulwa RK, Rieckmann M, Shauri H, Teucher M & Schmitt CB. 2020. Land scarcity, communication gaps and institutional confusions influence the loss of biodiversity in south-eastern Kenya. Biodiversity and Conservation, 29: 3835-3841. (Open Access)

Muscarella R & 222 co-authors, including Schmitt CB. 2020. The global abundance of tree palms. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 29(9): 1495-1514. (Open Access)

Schmitt CB, Börner J & Luedeling E. 2020. Planting trees - no all-round solution for climate change mitigation. ZEFNews 41. Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn, Germany, p. 10. (Open Access)

Teucher M, Schmitt CB, Wiese A, Apfelbeck B, Maghenda M, Pellikka P, Lens L & Habel JC. 2020. Behind the fog: Forest degradation despite logging bans in an East African cloud forest. Global Ecology and Conservation, 22: e01024. (Open Access)

Further publications:

ResearchGate

Google Scholar

(08/2024) BioCult stakeholder workshop, Kilifi, Kenya: “Unique plant diversity of Kaya Kambe”

(07/2024) Projekttag Kakao, Benedikt-Stattler-Gymnasium, Bad Kötzting: „Kakao! Wie nachhaltig sind Anbau und Konsum?“ (invited)

(06/2024) Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR2), München: Studiogast zum Thema „Kaffee“ in der Sendung „Nah dran: Gesellschaft Wissen Dialog“ (invited)

(05/2024) Bürgerforum Umwelt e.V., Vilshofen: „Klimawandel: Grundlagen, Fakten, Auswirkungen“ (invited)

(04/2024) Jahrestagung der Reinhold-Tüxen-Gesellschaft, Rinteln: „Wälder Ostafrikas: Bedeutung, Schutz und Wiederherstellung“ (invited)

(01/2024) Seminar Series Environment & Biodiversity, Paris Lodron University Salzburg, Austria: “African biodiversity hotspots in an era of global change” (invited)

(11/2023) 8. Wildtier Forum Berlin, Germany: „Was ist Wildnis – Eine internationale Perspektive“ (invited)

(06/2023) Annual Conference of the European Society of Tropical Ecology (gtoe), Budweis, Czech Republic: Lead and moderation of thematic session “Biodiversity and people: the role of culture and tradition in biodiversity conservation”

(05/2023) SmP – Stipendiatinnen und Stipendiaten machen Programm, German Academic Scholarship Foundation (online): „Eine kurze Klimageschichte. Die Rolle der Wälder in der Klimakrise“ (invited)

(05/2023) Joint meeting of the Special Interest Groups Biogeography and Macroecology, University of Bayreuth, Germany: “Plant diversity and biomass in the Kenyan coastal forest”

(04/2023) Public seminar series “Brennpunkt Klima”, University of Passau, Germany: „Die Grundlagen des Klimawandels“ (invited)

(02/2023) Kick-off meeting DAAD Quality Network Biodiversity, Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia: “DAAD BioCult project - Vegetation group”

(01/2023) Public lecture series „Nachhaltigkeit und Konsum“, University of Passau, Germany: „Kaffee, Kakao & Co.: Wie nachhaltig sind Anbau und Konsum?“ (invited)

(11/2022) Climate talks (Fridays for Future), University of Passau, Germany: “Kurze Klimageschichte. Rolle des Waldes in der Klimakrise” (invited)

(06/2022) Annual Conference of the European Society of Tropical Ecology (gtoe), Montpellier, France: “Biomass and degradation in the Kenyan coastal forests”

(04/2022) Neuburger Gesprächskreis on „Hunting for Hectares: CO2-Zertifikate auf Wald als Ausweg aus der Klimakrise?“ (online): “Wald und Klimaschutz” (invited)

(02/2022) Kick-off meeting DAAD Quality Network Biodiversity, Pwani University, Kenya: “Vegetation group: Aims and methods”

(12/2021) 3rd Network meeting, BayWISS Joint Academic Partnership Life Sciences and Green Technologies, Germany (online): “Schutz und nachhaltige Nutzung von Biodiversität und natürlicher Ressourcen”

(08/2021) Kick-off meeting DAAD Quality Network Biodiversity, Taita Taveta University, Kenya (online): “Vegetation ecology: Aims and methods”