Prof. Dr. Felix Kienast

Function

Senior Scientist

Land Change Science

Land-use systems

Contact

felix.kienast(at)wslto make life hard for spam bots.ch

+41 44 739 23 66+41 44 739 23 66

Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL
Zürcherstrasse 111
8903 Birmensdorf

Site

Birmensdorf Bi HL E 34

Research Interests

Evaluation of historical and current landscape patterns and processes.
GIS-based landscape models to simulate possible future landscape development and associated landscape services.
Interactions between landscape change and ecological as well as socio-economic attributes.
Development of indicators for landscape monitoring.
Place attachment in migrating communities.

Education

Venia legendi	University of Bern / ETH Zurich	1996 / 2005
PhD	University of Zurich	1985

Scientific Career

Titular Professor for Landscape Ecology ETH Zürich	2007 - 2023
Senior Scientist Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL	2006 - 2023
Head of research group „Landscape modeling“at the Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL	2006 - 2010
Section head “Landscape dynamics and spatial development” at the Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, deputy division head	1998 - 2006
Head of research group „Landscape development“ at the Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL	1988 - 1998
Postdoctoral fellow Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Dept. of Soil Physics	1988
Postdoctoral fellow & consultant at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA	1985 - 1987

Professional Societies

International Association for Landscape Ecology IALE	President	2011 - 2015
Swiss Academy of Science (SCNAT)	President Working Group "Landscape, Alps and Parks"	2019 - 2021

FURTHER INFORMATION

Projects

Biodiversity policy evaluation

This project is motivated by the repeated statement of OECD that biodiversity policy is a weak point in Swiss environmental policy. We will use up-front text retrieval methods to evaluate implementation of biodiversity-related policies in Switzerland.

LABES 2: Continuation of landscape monitoring Switzerland 2020/21

After further refining the concept, WSL and FOEN will work together on updating the landscape monitoring. An expanded set of indicators for landscape perception and satellite-based new indicators for the physical landscape are the new elements of the monitoring. Despite the new and expanded indicators, comparability with past surveys is ensured.

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?

Landschaftsbeobachtungsprogramm Schweiz LABES

Ziel dieses Projektes ist, das LABES Monitoring-Instrument, das zwischen 2009 und 2017 entwickelt wurde, bis 2020 konzeptionell zu überprüfen.

Conceptual evaluation of the Swiss landscape monitoring program 2018-2020

What are the qualities of the Swiss landscape? How do people assess the state of the landscape? These are the kinds of questions being taken up by the Landscape Monitoring program (LABES) launched in 2008. This project evaluates the program for relevance and use of up-front technology.

ENERGYSCAPE

This project focuses thus on assessing public judgments of the landscape effects stimulated by a mix of renewable energy systems in Swiss landscapes.

MOOC Landscape Ecology

This is the first comprehensive, interactive MOOC in Landscape Ecology. The core principles of Landscape Ecology are taught through video lectures, quizzes and interactive simulations. In Applied Case Studies leading experts from different continents give the students a global learning experience.

Future prospects for renewable energy

The production of renewable energy is a landscape service of growing importance and great political relevance. However, the expansion of renewable energies is causing various conflicts with competing landscape services.

Landscape impacts of renewable energy production

The project aims to gain insight into the population's attitudes towards the impact of renewable energy production on landscape quality. Particularly, the role of connotations attached to respective landscape changes will be investigated.

Landscape and amenity migration

The objective of this research project is to analyze in-migration to rural regions in Switzerland. The focus is on the role of landscape amenities as a factor contributing to local quality of life and influencing attractiveness of a region for potential in-migrants.

NFP 68: Controlling urban sprawl to limit soil consumption (SPROIL)

The project aims at examining the political, planning and socio-economic factors, the so-called drivers, which have been determining urban sprawl since the 1950s. The identified drivers will be used in spatially explicit predictive models.

Measuring and Limiting Urban Sprawl

The sprawling, contourless growth of settlements not only has negative ecological, economic and social effects, it also contradicts the principle of sustainability. There is therefore an urgent need for action.

Landscape and the location decision

The main objective of this project is to analyze the significance of landscape characteristics and landscape quality for the choice of residential location. The impact of different landscape variables on apartment rental prices is estimated using a comprehensive hedonic property value model. The econometric estimation of landscape values can contribute to informed decision making of the involved agents and to an increased awareness of the locational factor landscape.

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.

Dezentrale Besiedlung

Am Beispiel der Region Surselva (GR) untersuchen WissenschafterInnen die ökonomischen, sozialen und ökologischen Folgen einer Aufgabe dezentraler Siedlungsstrukturen. Sie diskutieren, mit welchen Strategien und Konzepten sich die Zukunft peripherer ländlicher Räume gestalten lässt.

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.

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.

Akzeptanz von Grossraubtieren

Grossraubtiere breiten sich in der Schweiz wieder aus. Die Einwanderung von Wolf und Bär oder die Luchsumsiedlung stossen aber in Teilen der Bevölkerung auf Widerstand. Um die Akzeptanz von Raubtieren langfristig zu fördern, braucht es wissenschaftliche Grundlagen über das Verhältnis der Bevölkerung zu diesen Tierarten.

Acceptance of nature conservation measures

Nature and landscape conservation issues have a high priority since an intact landscape is considered as important for tourism and well-being. On the local level however, there is a fair amount of contradiciting views. In this research, processes that positively or negatively influence acceptance have been investigated.

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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WSL publications

Scientific publication article peer reviewed

Nematollahi, S.; Afghari, S.; Kienast, F.; Fakheran, S., 2022: Spatial prioritization for ecotourism through applying the landscape resilience model. Land, 11, 10: 1682 (18 pp.). doi: 10.3390/land11101682

Pan, Y.; Hersperger, A.M.; Kienast, F.; Liao, Z.; Ge, G.; Nobis, M.P., 2022: Spatial and temporal scales of landscape structure affect the biodiversity-landscape relationship across ecologically distinct species groups. Landscape Ecology, 27: 2311-2325. doi: 10.1007/s10980-022-01477-x

Salak, B.; Kienast, F.; Olschewski, R.; Spielhofer, R.; Wissen Hayek, U.; Grêt-Regamey, A.; Hunziker, M., 2022: Impact on the perceived landscape quality through renewable energy infrastructure. A discrete choice experiment in the context of the Swiss energy transition. Renewable Energy, 193: 299-308. doi: 10.1016/j.renene.2022.04.154

Nematollahi, S.; Fakheran, S.; Jafari, A.; Pourmanafi, S.; Kienast, F., 2022: Applying a systematic conservation planning tool and ecological risk index for spatial prioritization and optimization of protected area networks in Iran. Journal for Nature Conservation, 66: 126144 (11 pp.). doi: 10.1016/j.jnc.2022.126144

Bacău, S.; Domingo, D.; Palka, G.; Pellissier, L.; Kienast, F., 2022: Integrating strategic planning intentions into land-change simulations: designing and assessing scenarios for Bucharest. Sustainable Cities and Society, 76: 103446 (20 pp.). doi: 10.1016/j.scs.2021.103446

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Further scientific publications

Wartmann, F.; Kienast, F.; Hunziker, M., 2021: Messen wie die Bevölkerung Landschaft für die Erholung nutzt. Erkenntnisse aus dem Programm Landschaftsbeobachtung Schweiz LABES. In: Hunziker, M.; Bürgi, M.; Kienast, F.; Tobias, S.; Bauer, N.; Bebi, P. (eds), 2021: Erholsame Landschaft. Forum für Wissen 2021, Birmensdorf. 13-16.

Schnabel-Jung, U.; Wipf, S., 2021: Extreme Besucherströme bringen neue Herausforderungen für Schutzgebiete. In: Bürgi, M.; Tobias, S.; Hunziker, M.; Bauer, N.; Bebi, P.; Kienast, F. (eds), 2021: Erholsame Landschaft. Forum für Wissen 2021, Birmensdorf. 57-61.

Remund, M., 2021: Die Natur als Wildpark und Sportarena. Das Outdoor-Stadium Schweiz gemeinsam planen. In: Bürgi, M.; Tobias, S.; Hunziker, M.; Bauer, N.; Bebi, P.; Kienast, F. (eds), 2021: Erholsame Landschaft. Forum für Wissen 2021, Birmensdorf. 53-55.

Wunderlich, A.C.; Salak, B.; Hegetschweiler, T.; Bauer, N.; Hunziker, M., 2021: The woods are calling: Auswirkungen der Corona-Pandemie auf die Schweizer Waldbesuche. In: Bauer, N.; Bebi, P.; Hunziker, M.; Bürgi, M.; Kienast, F.; Tobias, S. (eds), 2021: Erholsame Landschaft. Forum für Wissen 2021, Birmensdorf. 49-52.

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.

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Magazine article and brochures

Hunziker, M.; Wartmann, F.; Kienast, F., 2021: Wie sich die Qualität der Landschaft messen lässt. Thema Umwelt, 8-9.

Buchecker, M.; Hohmann, M.; Kienast, F.; Degenhardt, B.; Hunziker, M.; Wotruba, L., 2016: Erholungsgebiete per Mausklick: eine neue Web-Applikation. Application web: des aires de loisirs à portée de clic. Nature et Paysage. Natur und Landschaft: Inside, 17.

Graf, C.; Bolliger, J.; Kienast, F., 2016: Wirkungsvolle und attraktive Besucherlenkung in Schutzgebieten. Gestion des visiteurs efficace et attractive dans les aires protégées. Nature et Paysage. Natur und Landschaft: Inside, 22-25.

Björnsen Gurung, A.; Borsdorf, A.; Füreder, L.; Kienast, F.; Matt, P.; Scheidegger, C.; Schmocker, L.; Zappa, M.; Volkart, K., 2016: Alpine Pumpspeicherung – quo vadis?. Wasser, Energie, Luft, 108, 3: 195-201.

Bögli, S.; Kienast, F.; Buchecker, M., 2016: Welchen Stellenwert haben Gewässer bei der Naherholung? Eine Untersuchung zur Naherholungsnutzung im suburbanen Raum Opfikon. Wasser, Energie, Luft, 108, 4: 303-307.

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Books

Kienast, F., Ghosh, R., Wildi, O., (eds.) 2007: A changing world: Challenges for landscape research. Landscape Series. Springer.
Review 1, Review 2

Hennig, E.I., Soukup, T., Orlitova, E., Schwick, C., Kienast, F., Jaeger, J.A.G., 2016: Urban sprawl in Europe. Joint EEA-FOEN report. EEA Report No 11/2016. Published by the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN). ISSN 1777-8449, ISBN 978-92-9213-738-0, 135 pp.

Jaeger, J.A.G., Madrinan, L.F., Soukup, T., Schwick, C., Kienast, F., 2011: Landscape Fragmentation in Europe. EEA Report 2/2011. European Environmental Agency 2011. --> Publication got IENE award

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

Prof. Dr. Felix Kienast

Research Interests

Education

Scientific Career

Professional Societies

FURTHER INFORMATION

Projects

Biodiversity policy evaluation

LABES 2: Continuation of landscape monitoring Switzerland 2020/21

Potential of integrated landscape management for renewable energy projects

Landschaftsbeobachtungsprogramm Schweiz LABES

Conceptual evaluation of the Swiss landscape monitoring program 2018-2020

ENERGYSCAPE

MOOC Landscape Ecology

Future prospects for renewable energy

Landscape impacts of renewable energy production

Landscape and amenity migration

NFP 68: Controlling urban sprawl to limit soil consumption (SPROIL)

Measuring and Limiting Urban Sprawl

Landscape and the location decision

Nearby Outdoor Recreation

Dezentrale Besiedlung

Erholungsnutzung im periurbanen Raum

Socially sound river restorations

Akzeptanz von Grossraubtieren

Acceptance of nature conservation measures

Need-oriented landscape development

WSL publications

Scientific publication article peer reviewed

Further scientific publications

Magazine article and brochures

Books

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Prof. Dr. Felix Kienast