Dr. Rebecca Froese
Lecturer
E-Mail: rebecca.froese@rptu.de
Research Focus
- Land and Environmental Governance
- Climate and Environmental Change
- Social Tipping Points and Social Cohesion
- Human environment interactions
- Natural Resource Management and Conflicts
- Sustainable development
- Development Cooperation
Geographic Focus
- Latin America, (Brazil, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador)
Concepts
- Comparative Governance
- Actor-based approaches
- Multi-stakeholder engagement
Methods
- Qualitative field research based on stakeholder interviews, document analysis and structured observations
- Actor mapping and actor-based qualitative social network analysis
Rebecca Froese holds a PostDoc position at the Center for Interdisciplinary Sustainability Research at the University of Münster, Germany. There, she is involved in the project SUNrise Lab "Sustainable University Landscape Münster - Living Labs as Drivers of Transformation towards Sustainable Universities". The project aims to empower universities to take an active part in the sustainability transformation of the university itself, its surrounding environment, and the society in which it is embedded. Rebecca's focus in this project is to investigate how the university and its various partners can contribute to the protection and promotion of biodiversity. Further areas of her work include research on human-environmental interactions, land, biodiversity, and conservation conflicts, climate and environmental change, governance, environmental peacebuilding, sustainability in the global South, and social-ecological tipping points.
Rebecca pursued her Ph.D. at the Department of Environmental Sciences and the Research Group Landuse Conflicts at the University of Koblenz-Landau. There she investigated how environmental governance shapes pathways toward cooperative or conflictive social-ecological tipping points. As a case example, she conducted her research at the tri-national border of Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru in the southwestern Amazon.
Further, Rebecca is an associate fellow at the Peace Academy Rhineland-Palatinate, the Research Group Climate Change and Security at the University of Hamburg. She holds a Master's Degree in Integrated Climate System Sciences from the University of Hamburg and a Bachelor's Degree in Geoscience from the University of Bremen. Previously she also studied at the University of Victoria, Canada, worked as an intern with the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) in Brazil, and as a consultant at GFA Consulting Group in Belgrade, Serbia, and Hamburg, focusing on the topics of climate change, governance, conservation, biodiversity, and land use conflicts.
Journal Articles
Schilling, Janpeter; Pinzón, Claudia; Froese, Rebecca; Figueroa, Diana; Villavicencio, Miguel; Werland, Luise; Schönenberg, Regine (2024): "All we have left is to defend our reserve": Social structures and community resistance to large-scale gold mining in the Manuripi Wildlife Reserve in northern Bolivia. In: The Extractive Industries and Society. vol. 20. pp. 1-11.
Froese, Rebecca; Andrino, Alberto; Giudice, Renzo; Stuch, Benjamin; Kilian Salas, Simone; Böhner, Jürgen; Boy, Diana; Boy, Jens; Brown, Foster; Díaz García, Elisa; Figueroa, Diana; Frör, Oliver; Guggenberger, Georg; Horn, Markus A.; Hasson, Shabeh ul; Jung, Christopher; Lagneaux, Elisabeth G.; Meurer, Katharina H. E.; Pinzón Cuellar, Claudia; Schaldach, Rüdiger; Cerruto Ribeiro, Sabina; Schilling, Janpeter; Schmidt, Fernando A.; Schönenberg, Regine; Selaya, Galia; Vega, Claudia M.; Vetter, Vanessa M. S.; Villavicenio, Miguel; Callo-Concha, Daniel; Jansen, Merel; Jungkunst, Hermann F. (2023): Describing Complex Interactions of Social-ecological Systems for Tipping Point Assessments: An Analytical Framework. In: Frontiers in Climate. vol. 5. pp. 1-16.
Froese, Rebecca; Schilling, Janpeter; Pinzón, Claudia; Schönenberg, Regine (2022): Between Cooperation and Conflict: A Social-Ecological Perspective on the Impacts of COVID-19 in South-western Amazonia. In: Die Friedens-Warte. Journal of International Peace and Organization. vol. 95. pp. 67-88.
Froese, Rebecca; Pinzón, Claudia; Aceitón, Loreto; Argentim, Tarik; Arteaga, Marliz; Navas-Guzmán, Juan Sebastian; Pismel, Gleiciane; Scherer, Sophia Florence; Reutter, Jannis; Schilling, Janpeter; Schönenberg, Regine (2022): Conflicts over Land as a Risk for Social-Ecological Resilience: A Transnational Comparative Analysis in the Southwestern Amazon. In: Sustainability. vol. 14. no. 11.
Schilling, Janpeter; Schilling-Vacaflor, Almut; Flemmer, Riccarda; Froese, Rebecca (2021): A Political Ecology Perspective on Resource Extraction and Human Security in Kenya, Bolivia and Peru. In: The Extractive Industries and Society. no. 8.
Froese, Rebecca; Schilling, Janpeter (2019): The Nexus of Climate Change, Land Use, and Conflicts. In: Current Climate Change Reports. vol. 5. pp. 24-35.
Frank, Anna M.; Froese, Rebecca; Hof, Barbara C.; Scheffold, Maike I. E.; Schreyer, Felix; Zeller, Mathias; Rödder, Simone (2017): Riding Alone on the Elevator – A Class Experiment in Interdisciplinary Education. In: Learning and Teaching. vol. 10. no. 3. pp. 1-19.
Schilling, Janpeter; Nash, Sarah Louise; Ide, Tobias; Froese, Rebecca; Scheffran, Jürgen; von Prondzinski, Pina (2017): Resilience and Environmental Security: Towards Joint Application in Peacebuilding. In: Global Change, Peace & Security. vol. 29. no. 2. pp. 107-127.
Book Chapters
Schönenberg, Regine; Pinzón, Claudia; Froese, Rebecca; Brown, Foster; Frör, Oliver (2022): Ao Caminho de Criar Momentos Pós-Coloniais: Propondo uma Dinâmica de Intercâmbio de Conhecimiento Rumo a uma Amazônia Sustentável. In: Cleiseano Emanuel de Silva Paniagua, : Meio Ambiente: Preservação, Saúde e Sobrevivência. Ponta Grossa: Atena Editora. vol. 3. pp. 82-92.
Scheffran, Jürgen; Felkers, Miriam; Froese, Rebecca (2020): Economic Growth and the Global Energy Demand. In: Vertes, Alain A.; Quereshi, Nasib; Blaschek, Hans P.; Yukawa, Hideaki: Green Energy to Sustainability – Strategies for Global Industries. Wiley. pp. 1-44.
Schilling, Janpeter; Froese, Rebecca; Naujoks, Jana (2018): “Just Women” is not Enough: Towards a Gender-Relational Approach to Water and Peacebuilding. In: Fröhlich, Christiane; Gioli, Giovanna; Cremades, Roger; Myrttinen, Henry: Water Security Across the Gender Divide. Water Security in a New World. Cham: Springer.
Scheffran, Jürgen; Froese, Rebecca (2016): Enabling Environments for a Sustainable Energy Transformation: The Diffusion of Know-how, Technologies and Innovations in Low-carbon Societies. In: Brauch, Hans Günther; Oswald Spring, Ursula; Grin, John; Scheffran, Jürgen: Handbook on Sustainability Transition and Sustainable Peace. Hexagon Series on Human and Environmental Security and Peace 10. Heidelberg – New York – Dordrecht – London: Springer-Verlag. pp. 721-756.
Blog Entries and Other Publications
Froese, Rebecca (2022): Klimagerechtigkeit – Eine menschenrechts-basierte Antwort auf den Klimawandel. Friedensakademie-Blog, 26.03.2022.
Froese, Rebecca; Pinzón, Claudia; Schönenberg, Regine; Schilling, Janpeter (2021): Local Actions Against Global Dynamics - COVID-19 as a Catalyst of Social Transformation in the South-Western Amazon. In: Dany, Charlotte; Groppe, Annalena: Peace Perspectives No. 1: Peace and the Pandemic - International Perspectives on Social Polarization and Cohesion in Times of COVID-19. pp. 38-44.
Froese, Rebecca; Schilling, Janpeter (2021): Goldbergbau im Peruanischen Amazonas – Eine Bedrohung für die Menschliche Sicherheit. Friedensakademie-Blog, 03.02.2021.
Froese, Rebecca (2021): Podcasts in der Lehre. Schritte auf der Spielwiese multimedialer Bildung. Hypotheses-Blog. 24.08.2021.
Froese, Rebecca; Schilling, Janpeter (2020): Umwelt und Frieden Zusammendenken: Environmental Peacebuilding als Chance für die Deutsche Friedens- und Entwicklungspolitik. PeaceLab Blog, 28.05.2020.
Froese, Rebecca (2020): COVID-19: Einblicke aus Forschungsländern der Friedensakademie. Friedensakademie-Blog, 11.05.2020.
Froese, Rebecca; Schilling, Janpeter; Ide, Tobias; Nash, Sarah Louise; Scheffran, Jürgen (2017): Resilience and Environmental Security in Peacebuilding. Climate-Diplomacy-Blog, 24.05.2017.
Froese, Rebecca (2015): Bridging the Gap: Under-Representation and Communication Between Groups at COP21. The Climate Debate Watch Blog, 11.12.2015.
Scientific Presentations and Conferences
10/2021 | BMBF BioTip Midterm Conference, online, Talk: "Social Cohesion and Landuse Change" |
09/2021 | Discussant at Global Landscape Forum, online, Particpation as presenter in the session "Functional diversity to foster conviviality? - Understanding the cascade of amazonian tipping points" |
09/2021 | Co-host and moderator: Symposium "Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Resilience in Social-Ecological Systems", FU Berlin, University of Koblenz-Landau, ZEF - Center for Development Research University of Bonn, Peace Academy Rhineland-Palatinate |
09/2021 | Bratislava Conference on Earth System Governance, Talk: "Social Cohesion as a Crucial System Function in Social-Ecological Systems", online |
03/2021 | 3° SIALAT, Seminário International America Latina, Talk: Ao caminho de criar momentos pós-coloniais: propondo uma dinâmica de intercâmbio de conhecimento em defesa da Amazônia" (On the way to creating postcolonial moments: proposing a dynamic of exchange of knowledge in defence of Amazonia), Belem-PA/online |
09/2020 | Political Ecology Network Biannual Conference, Talk: "A political ecology perspective on resource extraction and human security in Kenya, Bolivia and Peru", online |
08/2020 | Social Cohesion Symposium, Talk: “Social Cohesion and Tipping Points in the MAP Region - A System Perspective”, hosted by FU Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research and Peace Academy Rhineland-Palatinate, online |
04/2019 2015-18 | Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers (AAG), Washington UN Climate Change Conference in Katowice (COP24), Bonn (COP23), Marrakech (COP22) and Paris (COP21) as Delegate of the University of Hamburg |
11/2018 | Earth System Governance Network Winter School and Conference, Utrecht |
06/2018 | 24th Annual ISDRS Conference, Messina, Sicily |
01/2018 | TdLab Winter School, ETH Zürich |
12/2016 | International Sustainability Congress, Istanbul |
04/2016 | MUN Environment and Sustainable Development, UN Office Vienna |
Talks for Science Communication
06/2022 | "Environmental Peacebuilding - Umwelt und Frieden zusammendenken" (Environmental Peacebuilding - A Joint Perspective on Peace and the Environment), part of the lecture series "What kind of a UN does it need to make peace", of the UN University Group at the TU Dresden. |
09/2020 | "Klimawandel und Konflikte – Ein Risiko für den Frieden?” (Climate Change and Conflict – A Risk for Peace?), Input-Lecture for the Public Relations Division of the German Civil Peace Service (Ziviler Friedensdienst – ZFD). |
03/2020 | "Tipping Points - or how not to fall off a cliff", contribution to the 32nd Science Slam, Mainz. |
11/2019 | “An Introduction to Climate Justice", Oral Presentation and Panel Discussion, University of Hamburg. |
10/2019 | “Climate Change as a Global Crisis of Justice and Peace", Oral Presentation and Discussion, forumZFD, Königswinter. |
08/2019 | “Climate Change – What can we do about it?”, Oral Presentation and Discussion, Kierspe, Northrhine-Westphalia. |
05/2019 | "Climate Justice - What is Needed for Peace in Europe and Beyond?", Petcha Kutcha, Refo Moabit, Berlin. |
03/2019 | “How to become a Climate Researcher”, Oral Presentation, Girls Day at University of Hamburg. |
In the Media
on Twitter@reb_froese
Host of the Podcast "Fokus Frieden" (Focus Peace) together with Dr. Julia Renner
"Klima-Edition: Stand der Forschung" (Climate-Edition: State of Research), thematic focus "Peace improves the Climate", episode in the podcast "Jetzt mal ganz friedlich" of the Civil Peace Service. 14.06.2021.
"Klimagerechtigkeit" Episode with Rebecca Froese for the Podcast climate talk. 18.05.2020.
"Klimaverhandlungen in Polen: Wir sitzen immer noch alle im selben Kanu“ ("Climate negotiations in Poland - we are all sitting in the same canoe"). Interview with Rebecca Froese and Janpeter Schilling for friedensakademie-blog and CEN, University of Hamburg, 18.12.2018.
Master Thesis
09/2021 - 05/2022 | Second advisor for Master Thesis “Resource Curse Never Again? Environmental Peacebuilding and gold mining in Burkina Faso”, Franziska Uhlen, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg |