BioDivFund II: 4th Research Initiative
This project will implement a research program that combines the natural and social sciences in exploring the complex relationships between biodiversity and human health and well-being. The main innovation and specific contribution of sociology will be to,
(1) initiate systematic collaborative research on the effects of biodiversity (or its loss) on health-related behaviors and various health and well-being parameters;
(2) the interplay between residents' perceptions of natural resources and the surrounding mobility infrastructure; and
(3) consider the potentially moderating roles of individual social and spatial-contextual characteristics.
To achieve this goal, we intend to link spatial biodiversity data with large georeferenced social science survey datasets that contain objective and subjective information on human behavior and health (e.g., the German national cohort). By comparing study regions in Saxony-Anhalt (including the Halle-Leipzig region) with regions in other German states, specific socio-ecological features will be substantiated.
In order to implement the extensive work program, several research proposals will be developed and submitted to various funding organizations for external funding and systematic reviews will be conducted with the support of the postdoctoral researcher, Dr. Simone Steinhausen.
