Dr. Matthias Buchecker

Function

Senior Scientist

Economics and Social Sciences

Social Sciences in Landscape Research

Contact

matthias.buchecker(at)wslto make life hard for spam bots.ch

+41 44 739 23 60+41 44 739 23 60

Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL
Zürcherstrasse 111
8903 Birmensdorf

Site

Birmensdorf Bi HV F 06

Research interests and projects

I am mainly concerned with social science research on landscape development, landscape services and natural hazards:
Key-topics: life quality, place identity, authenticity of place, outdoor recreation, public participation, risk communication, social learning.

Fur research projects, in which I am currently involved as a project manager, supervisor and/or researcher, see my projects page.

Detailed CV (pdf) and publication list (pdf)

Other Professional Activities

Board member of the journal Naturschutz und Landschaftsplanung

Professional Experience

Since July 2006: Senior Researcher at WSL, Group Social Sciences in Landscape Research
2002-2007: Head of module “Societal requirements of local life quality and negotiations of land use decisions” of the WSL Research Program “Land Resources Management in Peri-Urban Environments”.
1999-2006: Senior Researcher at WSL and deputy head of the section “Landscape and Society”
1992-1994: Collaborator at the consultant firm for forest and landscape “Pan” at Berne.1991-1992: Research assistant at the Laboratory of Hydraulics and Glaciology of ETH Zürich.

Academic Education

1999: Promotion at the Geographical Institute of the University of Berne. PhD-Project under the direction of Prof. P. Messerli and co-supervised by PD Felix Kienast of WSL: Landscape as the lifeworld of the residents: sustainable landscape development by need satisfaction, identification and participation. [PDF]
1991: University diploma in geography (with a focus on land use planning and hydrology) at the University of Berne, Switzerland.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Projects

Visitor flow management

An agent-based visitor flow management tool that allows for mitigating the conflict between outdoor recreation and biodiversity conservation will be developed for two riverine environments (lower Wigger valley and upper Glatt valley).

Enhancing residents' understanding of blue-green biodiversity through participatory interventions

The project investigates, to what extent residents' interactive involvement in river restoration planning enhances their understanding of biodiversity in local river areas as well as their sense of ownership, and which consequences this has on their support for local river restorations.

Naherholung an der Glatt: Ansprüche der Bevölkerung an die Gewässeraufwertung

Mit Hilfe einer quantitativen sozialwissenschaftlichen Erhebung wurde die aktuelle Nutzung der Glatt entlang des Projektperimeters «Fil Bleu Glatt» erfasst. Dabei wurde ein spezielles Augenmerk auf die räumliche Abbildung der Streckennutzung gelegt. Mit der Analyse wurden Bedürfnisse bezüglich der optimalen Wegvariante abgebildet und weitere Anforderungen an das Naherholungsgebiet Glatt ermittelt.

Integrated risk and resources management

This project contributes to a better understanding of the social and institutional barriers of an integrated management as strategy to climate-change related problems in Alpine regions.

Potential of integrated landscape management for renewable energy projects

Recent research results show that the widespread resistance to renewable energy projects is mainly due to a lack of comprehensive planning. How can the potential of integrated landscape management be used for the production of renewable energy?

Partizipatives GIS als Planungsinstrument für Windenergieprojekte

Erhebung von lebensräumlichen Aspekten und partizipativ-interaktiver Standortwahl.

Revitalisierung der Wigger: Die Ansprüche der regionalen Bevölkerung

Ziel des Projektes ist es, zu ermitteln, welche Ansprüche die regionale Bevölkerung an die zukünftige Gestaltung der Wigger und ihre Nebengewässer hat. Dabei sollen insbesondere auch die Erholungsansprüche berücksichtigt werden. Die Erhebung sollte gleichzeitig eine Baseline für die Evaluation der sozio-kulturellen Aspekte des Revitalisierungsprojektes bereitstellen.

Media renaturation

River renaturation has become an increasingly important issue in our society. Since 2011, Swiss cantons have been required to counteract adverse ecological effects. Various interests and demands around the river area inevitably lead to tensions and conflicts that are often difficult to resolve. An analysis of media coverage and presentation of the topic from a long-term perspective offer deeper insights into the course of the public debate and into some of the social and historical issues surrounding river renaturation.

Analyzing the Contribution of Participatory Environmental Planning to Social Learning

The research project studies the role of social learning in the context of participatory negotiation processes based on the case study of a complex planning project in the field of natural hazard management and use of natural resources.

Photovoltaic-panels on avalanche protectionconstructions

In Switzerland exist around 600 km of avalanche protection constructions, mainly between 1800m and 2500m of altitude. Two pilot creations in Bellwald (VS) test whether avalanche protection constructions are suited as carriers of photovoltaic panels and for producing electric power. In our project we evaluated with qualitative and quantitative methods how local tourists and local inhabitants perceive these pilot creations and, more generally, to which degree they accept solar panels in different environmental settings.

KULTURisk

This EU FP7-project aims at promoting a culture of risk prevention against natural hazards. To achieve this goal benefits and costs of different prevention measures are compared, and the effectiveness of risk communication within these measures are evaluated.

Nearby Outdoor Recreation

This project has the goal to develop a GIS-based model to forecast which near-by areas local inhabitants in Switzerland preferably use in their leisure time for outdoor recreation.

CapHaz-Net

CapHaz-Net is a unique collaboration project that brings together social scientists from various European countries. Funded by the European Community it reviews how institutions and people in Europe cope with and adapt to natural hazards.

ENHANCE M4

Enhancing ecosystem quality (e.g. through intervention or defragmentation) is relevant for society and economy. Which ecosystem enhancement contributes best to perceived quality of life and is economically most beneficial?

Nutzen von D-PHASE für Enduser

Die D-PHASE-Visualisierungsplattform, welche Information zu Hochwasservorhersage auf eine innovative Weise mittels hydrologischer und meteorologischer Ensemble-Modellen bereitstellt, wurde hinsichtlich des Nutzungs für ihre Enduser evaluiert.

Erholungsnutzung im periurbanen Raum

Durch Zunahme der Freizeit steigt der Druck auf Naherholungsräume im periurbanen Raum. Um Nutzungskonflikte zu vermindern, braucht es Informationen zu Nachfrage, Potential und Intensität der Raumnutzung. Wissenschafter ermitteln deshalb Kriterien, die das Naherholungsverhalten bestimmen und entwickeln Naherholungsmodell.

Requirements for local quality of life

Today the development of space and Mobility is far away from the principle of sustainability. New ways of spatial planning are required. This project aims at establishing a basis for a more sustainable spatial planning and mobility.

Alpine landscape development

In the context of sustainable development of the resource alpine landscape it is necessary that these developments are supported by a large part of the population. Therefore people's manifold objectives and desires must be known and included in planning measures.

Wahrnehmung und Bewertung von Naturgefahren

Sozialwissenschafter möchten im Projekt herausfinden, wie sich die Wahrnehmung und Bewertung von Lawinen, Murgängen, Steinschlag, Hochwasser, Stürmen usw. auf die Akzeptanz von Präventionsmassnahmen auswirken.

Socially sound river restorations

What is the meaning of the river space for the local public? What are the attitudes and demands of the population in regard to river restoration and which demands do people have regarding participation? This project shows possible ways towards socially sound river restorations.

Participation in landscape development

Scientists developed a guide designed to help local communities start up and carry out participation-in-development. The guide has been published in the form of a brochure. You will also find a web-paket.

Need-oriented landscape development

Rural communities in Switzerland experience a process of urbanization running contrary to the needs of the locals. In order to stop this harmful process, answers to the following questions are needed: What needs of the people can be met by the "every-day-landscape"? Why don't people shape their "every-day-landscape"? How could they be encouraged to participate?

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Publications WSL

Scientific publication article peer reviewed

Müller, S.; Flacke, J.; Buchecker, M., 2022: Participatory mapping and counter-representations in wind energy planning: a radical democracy perspective. Case Studies in the Environment, 6, 1: 1561651 (18 pp.). doi: 10.1525/cse.2022.1561651

Van den Born, R.; Van Heel, B.; Böck, K.; Buijs, A.; Buchecker, M., 2022: Public perspectives of river restauration projects. In: Morandi, B.; Cottet, M.; Piégay, H. (eds), 2022: River restoration. Political, social, and economic perspectives. Hoboken, NJ, Wiley. 233-252. doi: 10.1002/9781119410010.ch11

Garcia, X.; Müller, S.; Buchecker, M., 2022: Valuation of ecosystem services to assess river restoration projects. In: Morandi, B.; Cottet, M.; Piégay, H. (eds), 2022: River restoration. Political, social, and economic perspectives. Hoboken, NJ, Wiley-Blackwell. 210-232. doi: 10.1002/9781119410010.ch10

Maidl, E.; Buchecker, M., 2021: Local hazard consultants in Switzerland - an innovative social learning element in a community of practice. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 65: 102542 (13 pp.). doi: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2021.102542

Buchecker, M.; Fankhauser, M.; Gaus, R., 2021: Finding shared solutions in landscape or natural resource management through social learning: a quasi-experimental evaluation in an Alpine region. Landscape Ecology, doi: 10.1007/s10980-021-01274-y

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Further scientific publications

Wie soll die Energiestrategie 2050 lokal umgesetzt werden? Umfrage zur Energiewende und Mitwirkung bei der Umsetzung

Obwohl die Mehrheit der Schweizer Bevölkerung die Energiewende grundsätzlich befürwortet, gestaltet sich die konkrete Umsetzung herausfordernd. Besonders bei der Windenergie sind ausgeprägte Zielkonflikte erkennbar. Um diese Wissenslücken anzugehen, wurde in 12 Gemeinden nordöstlich von Bern, eine Bevölkerungsbefragung durchgeführt.

WSL-Berichte 117

2022

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News zum Thema

Kienast, F.; Buchecker, M.; Hunziker, M., 2021: Landschaft als Erholungsort - Forschung und Praxis erschliessen neues Wissen. In: Hunziker, M.; Bürgi, M.; Kienast, F.; Tobias, S.; Bauer, N.; Bebi, P. (eds), 2021: Erholsame Landschaft. Forum für Wissen 2021, Birmensdorf. 7-12.

Muhar, A.; Cottet, M.; Buchecker, M.; Köhler, B.; Böck, K., 2019: Wahrnehmung von Flusslandschaften. Sinneserfahrungen und Wissen. In: Muhar, S.; Muhar, A.; Egger, G.; Siegrist, D. (eds), 2019: Flüsse der Alpen. Vielfalt in Natur und Kultur. Bern, Haupt. 268-271.

Hunziker, M.; Braunschweiger, D., 2018: Hydro energy. In: Roth, M.; Eiter, S.; Röhner, S.; Kruse, A.; Schmitz, S.; Frantál, B.; Centeri, C.; Frolova, M.; Buchecker, M.; Stober, D.; Karan, I.; Van der Horst, D. (eds), 2018: Renewable energy and landscape quality. Bern, jovis Verlag. 111-114.

Buchecker, M.; Stober, D., 2018: Sociocultural aspects of renewable energy production. In: Roth, M.; Eiter, S.; Röhner, S.; Kruse, A.; Schmitz, S.; Frantál, B.; Centeri, C.; Frolova, M.; Buchecker, M.; Stober, D.; Karan, I.; Van der Horst, D. (eds), 2018: Renewable energy and landscape quality. Bern, jovis Verlag. 174-211.

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WSL websites

waldwissen.net

Knowhow for forestry experts and all others interested in the forest

lfi.ch

Swiss National Forest Inventory NFI - a forest information service

envidat.ch

Access to environmental monitoring and research data

natural-hazards.ch

Warnings on natural hazards by Swiss federal authorities

slf.ch

WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF in Davos

Main menu

Main menu

Dr. Matthias Buchecker

Research interests and projects

Other Professional Activities

Professional Experience

Academic Education

FURTHER INFORMATION

Projects

Visitor flow management

Enhancing residents' understanding of blue-green biodiversity through participatory interventions

Naherholung an der Glatt: Ansprüche der Bevölkerung an die Gewässeraufwertung

Integrated risk and resources management

Potential of integrated landscape management for renewable energy projects

Partizipatives GIS als Planungsinstrument für Windenergieprojekte

Revitalisierung der Wigger: Die Ansprüche der regionalen Bevölkerung

Media renaturation

Analyzing the Contribution of Participatory Environmental Planning to Social Learning

Photovoltaic-panels on avalanche protectionconstructions

KULTURisk

Nearby Outdoor Recreation

CapHaz-Net

ENHANCE M4

Nutzen von D-PHASE für Enduser

Erholungsnutzung im periurbanen Raum

Requirements for local quality of life

Alpine landscape development

Wahrnehmung und Bewertung von Naturgefahren

Socially sound river restorations

Participation in landscape development

Need-oriented landscape development

Publications WSL

Scientific publication article peer reviewed

Further scientific publications

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Main menu

Main menu

Dr. Matthias Buchecker

Research interests and projects

Other Professional Activities

Professional Experience

Academic Education