Jakub has always been fascinated by nature. He decided to pursue an academic career in economics rather than environmental studies because he thought that, as an economist, he could have a significant impact on nature conservation. This is how he became an ecological economist and a sustainability scientist. His specific research interest in environmental values allowed him to combine his personal interest in birds and his professional interest in economics. He is interested in how people interact with nature and how the different conservation arguments result from the broader socio-economic setting within which they are expressed. Associate Professor at the Social-Ecological Systems Analysis Lab, University of Lodz, and Visiting Scholar in the Department of Geography, University of Cambridge.

Philosopher of nature and friend of the University of Lodz. Core to Erik’s research has always been natural resources management, with a focus on understanding and promoting sustainable use and governance of different landscapes and the many functions they may carry, from biodiversity support to more anthropogenic ‘services’. Nested within these broader frames, he has a particular interest in understanding how people relate to birds and how birds perceive and respond to both people, directly, and the many landscape effects caused by diverse human activities. He has experience in systems and landscape ecology, geography, urban studies, landscape governance, participatory transdisciplinary research, review and interdisciplinary synthesis work, among other things. Professor in Ecosystems and Environment Research Programme, University of Helsinki.

Svitlana holds an interdisciplinary Bachelor's in International Environment and Development Studies and a Master's in Ecology from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. During her PhD at the University of Freiburg, Svitlana explored how passive rewilding in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone influenced biodiversity conservation at a regional scale. Current research interests include human-wildlife coexistence, human impacts on wildlife, rewilding, and warfare ecology. Svitlana is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Social-Ecological Systems Analysis Lab at the University of Lodz.