Dr. Matthias Buchecker

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.

Other Professional Activities

Board member of the journal Naturschutz und Landschaftsplanung

Detailed CV (pdf) and publication list (pdf)

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.