Wiebke Neumann

I have always been interested in understanding how animals respond to their dynamic environment, including humans. This interest builds the red thread in both my education and research. Addressing research questions that combine behavioral, physiological and spatial ecology linked to landscape ecological aspects therefore create the optimal link to feed my interests. Generating knowledge that supports decision-making in wildlife management and landscape planning has always been close to my research, and thus much of my research is applied.  

Today, human activities increasingly expand into wildlife habitat, which not only increases the frequency of contacts between wildlife and humans year-around, but also leaves long-lasting ecological footprints in wildlife habitat (e.g., infrastructure like roads or wind power establishment). Next, changed climatic conditions and land use (e.g., forestry and agriculture) affect wildlife. The overarching goal of my research is to improve our understanding of the ecological effects of the structure and the dynamics of human activity on wildlife (both recreational activities and infrastructure) in relation to the surrounding environment. I also work with traffic safety questions. Here, I study the distribution of wildlife-vehicle collisions in space and time and in relation to animal’ movement and distribution. During recent years, I am increasingly studying how different land-use interests co-occur in different landscapes and its implication for their sustainable co-existence, including specific questions on wind power establishment, conservation of biodiversity or hunting in relation to other interests. Within my area of research, I combine empirical and GIS-based approaches and use statistical and spatial analysis.

I am course leader for two global wildlife ecology courses at our department; "Wildlife ecology in a changing world – pre-requisites and challenges". Next, to lectures in these two courses, I am teaching also in other courses at SLU, addressing topics on spatial and behaviroal ecoloy of wildlife, human-wildlife interactions, and wildlife management aspects. 

Recent projects I have been involved in considered general aspects of the spatial ecology of moose, roe deer, and reindeer in different human-modified landscapes as well as evaluation of a method to quantify infrastructure effects on landscape connectivity for large mammals and the development of an innovative green land-use plan on municipality level. Currently, I am part of the Swedish Energy Agency financed project ”Hållbar landbaserad vindkraft - synergi, integration eller konflikt mellan riksintressen” (project leader Johan Svensson) that focus on synergies and conflicts among different land use interests in relation to wind power. I am also part of the recently finished Swedish EPA financed project Beyond Moose (project leader: Joris Cromsigt) that focus on ungulate interactions in multi-species systems and their impacts on surrounding environment in human-modified landscapes. I am leading the moose marking project ‘Viltsamverkan i brandens spår (’Wildlife cooperation following a forest fire’) that quantifies moose distribution, migration, reproduction and resource utilization following an extensive forest fire that have been taken place in the summer 2018. We also address predation rates on moose calves and closely collaborate with the Scandinavian Brown Bear Project, the Scandinavian Wolf Research Project and the Swedish Wolverine Project. Next, I am leading two moose marking projects in the very North of Sweden, in the county of Norrbotten: ”Förvaltningsmärkning Älg Norrbotten - vilt och skog” that focus on the interaction between moose and forestry and the moose marking project around the mountain village Nikkaluokta (latitude 67) where we study the effects of climate on larger herbivores. Central departure point in each project is the  spatial ecology of moose, which we compare with behaviour that we observe in other moose populations (e.g., further south). I have been project leader of the finished project “Älg och rådjur i stormarnas spår” that focused on spatial ecology of both moose and roe deer following the storms Gudrun (2005) and Per (2007) in the county of Kronoberg. Having data from southern and northern landscapes allow us to address questions along a north-south gradient. Data on different marking projects in Norrbotten enable also studies of meta-populations dynamics.

Description of the study areas

Norrbotten

In Swedish: https://www.slu.se/institutioner/vilt-fisk-miljo/moose-slu/omraden/norrbotten/

In English: https://www.slu.se/en/departments/wildlife-fish-environmental-studies/moose-slu/projects/norrbotten/

I am the Deputy Director of the SLU Forest Damage Centre with focus on monitoring. Within the centre, we have a focus on the continuous data collection on damage and populations or agents that cause damage in Swedish forest ecosystems. The monitoring activities financied by the Centre focus on on strengthening and complementing ongoing monitoring within forest ecosystems within Sweden, as well as funding method and model development.

https://www.slu.se/en/Collaborative-Centres-and-Projects/slu-forest-damage-centre/

Peer-viewed publications

24
Neumann W, Levers C, Widemo F, Singh NJ, Cromsigt JPGM, Kuemmerle T. 2022. Hunting as land use: Understanding the spatial associations among hunting, agriculture, and forestry. Ecology and Society 27,2. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-12882-270102
23
Bjärstig T, Mancheva I, Zachrisson A, Neumann W, Svensson J. 2021. Is large-scale wind power a problem, solution, or victim? A frame analysis of the debate in Swedish media. Energy Research & Social Science 83, 102337. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214629621004291
22
Zachrisson A, Bjärstig T, Thellbro C, Neumann W, Svensson J. Participatory comprehensive planning to handle competing land-use priorities in the sparsely populated rural context. Journal of Rural Studies 88, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2021.09.031
21
Van Moorter B, Singh NJ, Rolandsen CM, Solberg EJ, Dettki H, Pusenius J, Månsson J, Sand H, Milner JM, Roer O, Tallian A, Neumann W, Ericsson G, Mysterud A. 2021. The role of density dependence for partially migratory populations with seasonal range contraction and expansion. Oikos, http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/oik.07875
20
Græsli AR, Le Grand L, Thiel A, Fuchs B, Devineau O, Stenbacka F, Neumann W, Ericsson G, Singh NJ, Laske TG, Beumer LT, Arnemo JM, Evans AL. 2020. Physiological and behavioural responses of moose to hunting with dogs. Conservaion Physiology 8, coaa122; doi:10.1093/conphys/coaa122.
19
Neumann W, Widemo F, Singh NJ, Seiler A, Cromsigt JPGM. 2020. Strength of correlation between wildlife collision data and hunting bags varies among ungulate species and with management scale. Eur J Wildl Res 66, 89. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-020-01432-8
18
Svensson J, Neumann W, Zachrisson A, Bjärstig T, Thellbro C. 2020. National land-use and landscape interests in alpine and boreal landscapes – aspects of conflict, integration and synergy in sustainable landscape approaches. Sustainability 12, 5113; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12125113
17
Neumann W, Singh NJ, Stenbacka F, Malmsten J, Wallin K, Ball JP, Ericsson G. 2020. Divergence in parturition timing and vegetation onset in a large herbivore - differences along a latitudinal gradient. Biology Letters 16: 20200044; https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2020.0044
16
Græsli AR, Thiel A, Fuchs B, Singh NJ, Stenbacka F, Ericsson G, Neumann W, Arnemo JM, Evans AL. 2020. Seasonal hypometabolism in female moose. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 8:107; doi: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00107 
15
Neumann W, Sandström C, Holmgren L, Ericsson G. 2019. Defining a Mountain Landscape characterized by grazing using actor perception, governmental strategy, and environmental monitoring data. Journal of Mountain Sciences 16, 1691-1701. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-018-5258-x.
14
Evans AL, Fuchs B, Randi Græsli A, Neumann W, Stenbacka F, Singh NS, Ericsson G,  Malmsten J, Arnemo JM. 2019. Rate of Cooling in a Moose Carcass. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 55, 710-712. DOI: 10.7589/2018-05-114
13
Neumann W, Ericsson G. 2018. Influence of Hunting on Movements of Moose near Roads. Journal of Wildlife Management 82, 918-928. https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.21448
12
Niemi M, Rolandsen CM, Neumann W, Kukko T, Tiilikainen R, Pusenius J, Solberg EJ, Ericsson G. 2017. Temporal patterns of moose-vehicle collisions with and without personal injuries. Accident Analysis and Prevention 98, 167-173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2016.09.024
11
Stenset N, Lutnæs P, Bjarnadóttir V, Dahle B, Fossum K, Jigsved P, Johansen T, Neumann W, Opseth O, Rønning O, Steyaert S, Zedrosser A, Brunberg S, Swenson J. 2016. Seasonal and annual variation in the diet of brown bears (Ursus arctos) in the boreal forest of southcentral Sweden. Wildlife Biology 22, 107-116. http://dx.doi.org/10.2981/wlb.00194
10
Ericsson G, Dettki H, Neumann W, Arnemo JM, Singh NJ. 2015. Offset between GPS collar recorded temperature in moose and ambient weather station data. European Journal Wildlife Research 61, 919. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-015-0968-7
 
9
Ericsson G, Neumann W, Dettki H. 2015. Moose anti-predator behaviour towards baying dogs in a wolf-free area. European Journal Wildlife Research, 61: 575-582. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-015-0932-6
8
Neumann W, Martinuzzi S, Estes AB, Pidgeon AM, Dettki H, Ericsson G, Radeloff VC. 2015. Opportunities for the application of advanced remotely-sensed data in ecological studies of terrestrial animal movement. Movement Ecology, 3:8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-015-0036-7
7
Neumann W, Ericsson G, Dettki H, Radeloff V. 2013. Behavioural response to infrastructure of wildlife adapted to natural disturbances. Landscape Urban Plan 114, 9-27. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2013.02.002
6
Neumann W, Ericsson G, Dettki H, Bunnefeld N, Keuler N, Helmers D, Radeloff V. 2012. Difference in spatiotemporal patterns of wildlife road-crossings and wildlife-vehicle collisions. Biol Conserv 145, 70-78. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2011.10.011
5
Neumann W, Ericsson G, Dettki H, Arnemo JM. 2011. Effect of immobilizations on female moose Alces alces activity and space use. Can J Zool 89, 1013-1018. https://doi.org/10.1139/z11-076
4
Neumann W, Ericsson G, Dettki H. 2011. The impact of human recreational activities – moose as a case study.  Alces 47, 17-25. https://alcesjournal.org/index.php/alces/article/view/95
3
Stoen O-G, Neumann W, Ericsson G, Swenson J E, Dettki H, Kindberg J, Nellemann C. 2010. Behavioral response of moose and brown bears to direct helicopter approach by researchers. Wildlife Biology 16, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.2981/09-041
2
Neumann W, Ericsson G, Dettki H. 2010. Does off-trail backcountry skiing disturb moose? Eur J Wildl Res 56, 513-518. DOI 10.1007/s10344-009-0340-x
1
Neumann W, Ericsson G, Dettki H. 2009. The non-impact of hunting on moose Alces alces movement, diurnal activity, and activity range. European J Wildl Res 55, 255-265. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-008-0237-0

Book chapters

Niedzialkowska M, Neumann W, Borowik T, Kołodziej-Sobocińska M, Malmsten J, Arnemo JM, Ericsson G. 2022. Moose Alces alces (Linnaeus, 1758). In: Hackländer, K., Zachos, F.E. (eds) Handbook of the Mammals of Europe. Handbook of the Mammals of Europe. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65038-8_23-1, first online 2022-05-27. 

Helldin J-O, Skarin A, Neumann W, Olsson M, Jung J, Kindberg J, Lindberg N, Widemo F. 2017. The effects of wind power on terrestrial mammals- predicting impacts and identifying areas for future research. In: Wildlife and Windfarms, Onshore: Potential Effects (Volume 1) edited by Martin Perrow. Pelagic Publishing, Chapter 10. ISBN 9781784271190

Popular science publications

I am involved in more than 70 reports dealing with ungulate movement in landscapes in southern and northern Sweden. For more details:

https://www.slu.se/en/departments/wildlife-fish-environmental-studies/moose-slu/publications/

Fact sheets

Neumann W, Ericsson G, Sävberger L, Seiler A. 2011. Adaptiv älgförvaltning nr 12: Älg och trafik. Faktablad Fakta Skog 21, p 4.

www.slu.se/moose-research

www.slu.se/alg-forskning