Projects

• Kili-SES2: “The role of nature for human well-being in the Kilimanjaro social-ecological system”, sub-project “Supply of beneficial and detrimental nature’s contributions to people and their regulation through ecological networks”. Funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). Period: 2025-2029. 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.

Research Focus

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

Geographic focus

• Tanzania
• Germany

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)

Journal articles

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): Gesellschaftliche Einstellungen zur Rückkehr des Wolfs nach Deutschland. Natur und Landschaft, Schwerpunktausgabe: Luchs und Wolf zurück in Deutschland, 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 Behaviour: 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.

‘Tag des Wolfs’, Hessischer Runderfunk (hr-info), radio feature including interview with Lisa Lehnen. 30.April 2024.

‘Wer hat Angst vorm bösen Wolf?‘, Leibniz Association report on science exhibition featuring a wolf exhibit co-developed by Lisa Lehnen. https://www.leibniz-forschungsmuseen.de/ms-wissenschaft-2022

‚Meet the Scientist: Koexistenz von Mensch und Wolf in Deutschland‘. MS Wissenschaft, 2022. https://archiv.ms-wissenschaft.de/2022/de/ausstellung/veranstaltungen/meet-the-scientist-mensch-und-wolf/index.html

‚Wölfe und ihr Verhalten: Können Sie mit einer Expertin mithalten? Science quiz developed by Lisa Lehnen for t-online and Leibniz Association science quiz series. https://www.t-online.de/leben/familie/quiz/id_91160490/woelfe-und-ihr-verhalten-testen-sie-ihr-wissen-im-wissenschaftsquiz.html

• Society for Conservation Biology
• British Ecological Society
• Arbeits für Friedens- und Konfliktforschung e.V. / German Association for Peace and Conflict Studies