Theresa Klara Loch

Theresa Loch is a PhD researcher at the University of Freiburg, where she is part of the DFG-funded Research Training Group ConFoBi (Conservation of Forest Biodiversity in Multiple-Use Landscapes of Central Europe), in project C2 Local Knowledge. Her academic path reflects a commitment to understanding and fostering human–nature interactions through interdisciplinary approaches, lately focusing on social ecological network analysis.

Theresa first discovered her interest in human-nature interactions and inter-and transdisciplinary work during her BSc in Environmental Science (Major) and Business Psychology (Minor) at the Leuphana Universtiy in Lüneburg. The Social-ecological Systems Institute at the Leuphana University sparked her interest for relational values, with special focus on Local Ecological Knowledge and the integration of diverse forms of knowledge. Her focus on forest ecosystems was further strengthened during her ERASMUS Mundus Joint Master’s in Sustainable Forest and Nature Management (SUFONAMA), pursued at the University of Göttingen and the University of Copenhagen. In Copenhagen, she specialized in forest and nature management for society, exploring the diverse meanings and values associated with forests.

At ConFoBi, her doctoral research centers on the role of social networks in the implementation of forest biodiversity conservation, with a specific emphasis on street level bureaucrats and knowledge flows. She applies Social and Social-Ecological Network Analysis to investigate the structures that support or hinder conservation within forest management. She has further engaged with social-ecological research through a research stay at the Stockholm Resilience Centre and participation in international interdisciplinary PhD schools, such as the Alternet Summer School and POLNET.

Beyond academia, Theresa is an active advocate for equity in forestry education and a dedicated member of the International Forestry Students’ Association (IFSA), where she has contributed to initiatives on gender and forestry and currently serves as IFSA’s president.

Research interests

·       Social-Ecological Systems

·       Social (Ecological) Network Analysis

·       Human-Nature Relations

·       Relational Values

·       Forest Management

·       Gender & Forestry

·       Interdisciplinarity

Education

    2022 - present

PhD Researcher at the University of Freiburg within the Research Training Group Conservation of Forest Biodiversity in Multiple-use Landscapes of Central Europe (ConFoBi) - Project C2, Local Knowledge

Social Networks within the Implementation of Forest Biodiversity Conservation, applying Social and Social-Ecological Network Analysis within the field of Forest Management

    2020 - 2022

M.Sc. Sustainable Forest and Nature Management, ERASMUS Mundus Joint Master Degree, at Georg-August-University Göttingen, Germany and University of Copenhagen, Denmark 

Thesis: Refining Senses of Place. A case study from the Blaen Bran Community Woodland Group, Wales.

    2016 - 2020

B.Sc. Environmental Science (Major) and Business Psychology (Minor) at Leuphana University Lüneburg, Germany

Thesis: The Power of Knowledge. Local and traditional ecological knowledge in coastal ecosystems in the Global South

Publications

Loch, T. K., Nagel, M. and Kleinschmit, D. (in review) 'From Connections to Conservation: Social Networks in Forest Biodiversity Management', Available at SSRN 5021762.

Loch, T. K., Wohlwend, M. and Bodin, Ö. (in review) 'Managing Species, Managing Connections: Social-Ecological Alignment in State Forestry'.

Loch, T. K. and Kleinschmit, D. (2025) 'Building connections: Exploring social network research in forest sciences', Forest Policy and Economics, vol. 170, p. 103382.

Loch, T. K., Mencin, N., Öllerer, B., Mack, V. and Römer, N. (2024) 'Rooted inequalities in forest education: insights from a students' perspective', Equality and diversity in forestry: changing the image of forestry, pp. 24–25.

Munteanu, C., Sousa-Silva, R., Dormann, C. F., Kamp, J., Loch, T. K., Moesch, S., Roverelli, S., Segelbacher, G. and Storch, I. (2024) 'Why do people misperceive long-term environmental change?'.

Rogelja, T., Öllerer, B., Loch, T. K., Lippe, R. S., MTU, T. L. B., Boakye-Danquah, J. and Wyatt, S. (2024) 'How a Massive Open Online Course ForGEDI can address students' motivations, hesitancies, & obstacles in forest-related sectors', Equality and diversity in forestry: changing the image of forestry, pp. 15–17.

Riechers, M., Betz, L., Gould, R., Loch, T. K., Lam, D. P. M., Lazzari, N., Martín López, B. and Sala, J. E. (2022) 'Reviewing relational values for future research: insights from the coast', 1708-3087.

Loch, T. K. and Riechers, M. (2021) 'Integrating indigenous and local knowledge in management and research on coastal ecosystems in the Global South: A literature review', Ocean & Coastal Management, vol. 212, p. 105821.