Dr. Marcel Hunziker

Fonction

chef de groupe, senior scientist

Sciences économiques et sociales

Recherche en sciences sociales et paysage

Contact

marcel.hunziker(at)wslto make life hard for spam bots.ch

+41 44 739 24 59+41 44 739 24 59

Institut fédéral de recherches sur la forêt, la neige et le paysage WSL
Zürcherstrasse 111
8903 Birmensdorf

Site

Birmensdorf Bi HV E 03

Academic Education and Professional Experience

2006	Head of the group Social Sciences in Landscape Research at WSL
1999 - 2006	Head of the section Landscape & Society at WSL
1991 - 1998	Research in the reseach group Landscape Development at WSL
2000	PhD degree at University of Zurich, Switzerland
1991	University diploma in geography (with sociology and tourism research), University of Berne, Switzerland
1989 - 1991	Research assistant at University of Bern, Institute of Geography

Research Interests

My research interests focus on the interactions between people and landscape as well as nature, environment and space. In particular, I care about the following topics:

Attitudes of people regarding (former), current and future development of landscape, nature, environment, and space, including long-term monitoring of such attitudes.
Behaviour of people with regard to landscape, nature, environment, and space, and the possibilities to influence such behaviour actively.
Acceptance of nature conservation measures, such as species-conservation and protected areas, and evaluations of such measures.

Other Professional Activities

Member of the board of trustees of the Forum Landscape, Alps, Parks (scnat): since 2019
Vice-chair of the international steering committee of MMV (scnat): since 2016
President of the scientific board of parc research Switzerland: since 2012
Member of the executive committee of the Swiss Landscape Forum: 2012 - 2018
Associate editor of the Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism: since 2012

FURTHER INFORMATION

Projects

Plants and People in Urban Green Space (PAPPUS)

The PAPPUS project aims to understand how decision makers influence the choice of plant assemblages and their management in different types of urban green spaces, and how their decisions in turn influence ecological and human benefits in a context of climate change and urban intensification.

SUPERB

SUPERB compiles, and brings to large-scale application, existing practical and scientific knowledge on successful forest and forest landscape restoration. WSL will lead the WP "Governance and Society" and care about the monitoring societal demands regarding forest restoration.

Hören und Stören? Subjektive Geräuschwahrnehmung von Erholungssuchenden in Grünräumen

In der Studie wird die wahrgenommene Landschaftsqualität von Grünräumen für die Erholung unter Berücksichtigung visueller und akustischer Eigenschaften (Lärm/Stille/Naturgeräusche) durch NutzerInnen charakterisiert

Attraktivität von Bewirtschaftungsformen

In diesem Projekt soll die Attraktivität der verschiedenen Bewirtschaftungsformen im Waldlabor Zürich für die Erholungssuchenden untersucht werden.

INSCUNTRAR - auf dem Weg zur Erfassung der Landschaftswahrnehmung

Der Druck auf die Landschaft hat in den letzten Jahren stark zugenommen und ist auch im Schweizer Berggebiet spürbar. Am Beispiel des Kulturlandschaftswegs in der Gemeinde Valsot erfassen wir zusammen mit der Stiftung Pro Terra Engiadina und mit Hilfe des LABES-Instrumentes die Landschaftsqualität.

Noise and Greenspaces

Can people in urban regions recover from stress in green spaces or is there too much noise? Researchers from WSL and Empa explore the audio-visual requirements green spaces have to meet to enable noise-exposed people to recover from stress.

Recipes for Biocities

Basierend auf bestehendem Wissen und der Zusammenarbeit zwischen verschiedenen Partnern im In- und Ausland entwickeln wir eine Vision für nachhaltige Städte der Zukunft, in denen urbane Wälder eine zentral Rolle spielen

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.

Waldwahrnehmung mit allen Sinnen

Attraktivität von Wäldern wird meistens anhand von visuellen Merkmalen bestimmt. Waldwahrnehmung basiert aber nicht nur auf visuellen Eindrücken - alle Sinne spielen eine Rolle. In diesem Projekt wird die Waldwahrnehmung von Waldbesuchenden mit allen Sinnen, insbesondere des Gehörsinns, erfasst.

Difficulties in implementing biodiversity targets

What are the difficulties in implementing biodiversity and landscape objectives? An expert survey provides information.

Expert Survey "Challenges Landscape"

10 Jahre nach der Ersterhebung werden erneut Expertinnen und Experten in der Schweiz dazu befragt, was Ihrer Meinung nach die künftigen Herausforderungen der Landschaftsentwicklung darstellen.

Effect of contact with nature during childhood on environmental attitudes, ecological behavior and environmental citizenship behavior

The project will assess the impact of a multitude of different settings on EA and EB/Environmental Citizenship Behavior by comparing children's and adults' self-report.

WaMos3

The aim of WaMos is to investigate the relationship of the Swiss population to the forest. In WaMos3, important aspects of the last household survey are replicated and the survey instrument is further developed in terms of content and methodology.

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.

Urban forests

Urban forests fulfil important ecosystem services and are greatly appreciated by the public for their social and cultural services. The aim of the project is to get insights into people's expectations and assessments of these services. Furthermore, the project aims to link the population's perceptions and expectations with on-site forest characteristics.

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.

WML - WaMos meets LFI

In Switzerland, there are two very different forest monitoring instruments: The National Forest Inventory NFI and the socio-cultural forest monitoring WaMos. The aim of the current project is to bridge physical and social aspects.

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.

Parc Adula

During the creation of the national park “Parc Adula” a written survey will be conducted. Goal of the study is to find out what locals think about of the creation of “Parc Adula” and which knowledge they have about it.

Success control of Chriesbachrevitalization

In this project we evaluate the revitalization of the Chriesbach from a social point of view. It will especially be analyzed in how far the social goals (e.g., usage and acceptance of a green corridor and an open-air laboratory) are achieved.

GeneMig

GeneMig is an inter- and transdisciplinary CESS project that identifies societal and environmental challenges and risks associated with migration of species and their genes in a changing environment. This project (1) combines genetic methods with landscape modelling and (2) assess public attitudes and coping strategies towards species migration in the context of environmental change.

Evaluation of steering instruments in outdoor winter sports

Disturbances through increased recreation activities have an impact on wildlife populations, especially in winter. The nation-wide campaign “Respektiere deine Grenzen” tries to minimize the conflict between winter sports and wildlife populations in the Swiss Alps. This project analyses the outcome of the campaign.

Energy Landscape "Grimsel" as perceived by Tourists

The Grimsel landscape is an energy landscape characterized by reservoirs, dams and power plants. Do visitors like this landscape (yet)?

Recovery of Wildlife in the Alps

The return of large carnivores such as wolf and lynx in the Alps leads to conflicts with the local population. The goal of this project is to present practical conservation and management options for wolf and lynx in the Alps.

WaMos 2

The aim of the research project WaMos 2 is to assess the attitudes of the population towards forest and wood related topics. In doing so, the project revisits and builds upon work that was done in 1997. The results of WaMos 2 will serve as a basis for forest related policy, and the forest- and environment-related reporting of FOEN.

Acceptance of Acceptance of Protected Areas

Projects for the designation of large protected areas often encounter acceptance problems. This research and implementation project focuses on the difficulty of missing mutual acceptance by stakeholders.

Landschaftsforschung

Die WSL hat im Auftrag des Forum Landschaft den Stand der Landschaftsforschung in der Schweiz untersucht. Es wurden aktuelle und zukünftige Herausforderungen der Schweizerischen Landschaftsentwicklung ermittelt sowie ihre Handlungsrelevanz beurteilt.

Acceptance of Acceptance of Protected Areas

Einstellungen Regionaler Naturpark Pfyn-Finges

Im Rahmen des Projekts zur Bildung eines Regionalen Naturparks „Pfyn-Finges“ wurde untersucht, wie die lokale Bevölkerung dem Parkprojekt gegenüber eingestellt ist.

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?

Raumkonzept Schweiz

Auf Basis von Expertenbefragungen wurden verschiedene Entwicklungsoptionen für die Landschaftsräume der Schweiz formuliert. Die Entwicklungen wurden anschliessend in Zusammenarbeit mit der Zürcher Hochschule der Künste visualisiert und dienten als Diskussionsgrundlage im Rahmen der Erarbeitung des Raumkonzepts Schweiz.

BiodiverCity

The main goal of the project is to understand the relationship between urban diversity, built environment and the acceptance of the human population, in order to identify initial measures for integrating findings on how to enhance urban biodiversity and the acceptance of the residents into urban development processes.

Use conflicts in outdoor areas

Considering the constantly increasing leisure activities in various outdoor areas the question arises, how social use conflicts and ecological impairment of nature can be reduced.

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.

Impact of transit traffic on society

The aim this project is to investigate the implications of transit traffic on nature and society and to design a monitoring tool to detect changes related to the amount of traffic. The project also investigates the influence of transit traffic and the related landscape changes on wellbeing and place attachment of inhabitants.

BioScene: Reconciling biodiversity conservation

For centuries agriculture has played a multifunctional role in defining and sustaining mountain biodiversity in Europe through the management of habitats, species and landscapes. The overall aim of this project is to investigate the implications of agricultural restructuring and decline for biodiversity conservation in Europe’s mountain areas.

Outdoor-activities in nature and landscape

Outdoor-activities can have negative consequences on nature and landscape. A PhD student has analysed the motivation of outdoor-activists, their attitudes towards nature and landscape and their behaviour changing strategies.

Perception of natural hazards

With a telephonic survey the Swiss inhabitant's perception of natural hazards and specifically the hurricane "Lothar" has been investigated. The scientists asked almost 1000 people.

Consequences of "Lothar" to interest groups

The storm Lothar has had consequences for totally different groups interested in the forest. These are not only groups economically linked with the forest, but also people, which use the forest in their leisure time. Which consequences did "Lothar" have for the different interest groups?

Management of dry meadows

One option to regulate the management of dry meadows is signing a contract with farmers. It has become evident that not all farmers are willing to sign such contracts in spite of the possibility to earn some extra money. The question was why some farmers refuse to sign.

Biosphere reserves from people's view

Acceptance and success of biosphere reserves depend very much on the local population`s perception of and identification with the biosphere reserves. The objective of the study is to determine the attitudes of various social groups towards nature and nature protection.

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.

Natural science experiments

Do natural science experiments have an influence on the politicians' readiness to plan environ-political measures and on the public's acceptance? The significance of experiments in natural science in the public discussion on CO2-emissions was investigated. Among the politicians three different types of attitudes towards natural science in general were found.

Attitudes towards decaying forests

A major concern for landscape conservation strategies is the public attitude towards nature in general and towards efforts to let "nature return to the cultivated landscape". In this context the attitudes of national park visitors towards declining forest patches 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?

Spontaneous reforestation

One of the main arguments for handing out agricultural subsidies in Swiss mountainous areas is the conservation of traditional landscapes. To find out what people think about land abandonment WSL conducted qualitative in-situ-interviews as well as standardised questionnaires and photo-experiments.

Landscape change assessed by tourists

The lay assessment of tourism-induced landscape changes was investigated with standardized questionnaires and photo-experiments. A main result was that tourists are very sensitive to landscape changes caused by tourist infrastructure. They wish the landscape to remain traditional.

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Publications WSL

Scientific publication article peer reviewed

Mann, S.; Hunziker, M.; Torregroza, L.; Wartmann, F.; Kienast, F.; Schüpbach, B., 2023: Landscape quality payments in Switzerland: the congruence between policy and preferences. Journal of Policy Modeling, 45, 2: 251-265. doi: 10.1016/j.jpolmod.2023.03.007

Wunderlich, A.C.; Salak, B.; Hegetschweiler, K.T.; Bauer, N.; Hunziker, M., 2023: Impacts of rising COVID-19 incidence and changed working conditions on forest visits in early 2020 of the pandemic: evidence from Switzerland. Forest Policy and Economics, 153: 102978 (14 pp.). doi: 10.1016/j.forpol.2023.102978

Jürgens, U.M.; Grinko, M.; Szameitat, A.; Hieber, L.; Fischbach, R.; Hunziker, M., 2023: Managing wolves is managing narratives: views of wolves and nature shape people’s proposals for navigating human-wolf relations. Human Ecology, 51, 1: 35-57. doi: 10.1007/s10745-022-00366-w

Hegetschweiler, K.T.; Wartmann, F.M.; Dubernet, I.; Fischer, C.; Hunziker, M., 2022: Urban forest usage and perception of ecosystem services – a comparison between teenagers and adults. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, 74: 127624 (13 pp.). doi: 10.1016/j.ufug.2022.127624

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

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Further scientific publications

Landschaftsqualität in Regionalen Naturpärken. Ergebnisse der Landschaftsbeobachtung Schweiz LABES

Die Regionalen Naturpärke von nationaler Bedeutung wurden mit Hilfe des Monitoring-Instrumentes Landschaftsbeobachtung Schweiz (LABES) auf ihre Landschaftsqualitäten hin untersucht. Erhoben wurden dabei sowohl physische Landschaftsindikatoren als auch die Beurteilung der Landschaftsqualität durch die Bevölkerung.

WSL Berichte 133

2023

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Hunziker, M.; Hegetschweiler, T.; Purves, R., 2022: Détente en forêt. In: Office fédéral de l'environnement (OFEV) (eds), 2022: La forêt perçue par la population suisse. Résultats de la troisième enquête auprès de la population Suivi socioculturel de la forêt (WaMos 3). Berne, Office fédéral de l'environnement (OFEV). 27-37.

Hunziker, M.; Hegetschweiler, T., 2022: Protection de la surface forestière et contributions publiques destinées à la forêt. In: Office fédéral de l'environnement (OFEV) (eds), 2022: La forêt perçue par la population suisse. Résultats de la troisième enquête auprès de la population Suivi socioculturel de la forêt (WaMos 3). Berne, Office fédéral de l'environnement (OFEV). 51-56.

Hunziker, M.; Hegetschweiler, T., 2022: Schutz der Waldfläche und Beiträge der öffentlichen Hand an den Wald. In: Bundesamt für Umwelt (BAFU) (eds), 2022: Der Wald aus Sicht der Schweizer Bevölkerung. Ergebnisse der dritten Bevölkerungsumfrage Waldmonitoring soziokulturell (WaMos 3). Bern, Bundesamt für Umwelt (BAFU). 51-56.

Hunziker, M.; Hegetschweiler, T.; Purves, R., 2022: Erholung im Wald. In: Bundesamt für Umwelt (BAFU) (eds), 2022: Der Wald aus Sicht der Schweizer Bevölkerung. Ergebnisse der dritten Bevölkerungsumfrage Waldmonitoring soziokulturell (WaMos 3). Bern, Bundesamt für Umwelt (BAFU). 27-37.

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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.

Hunziker, M., 2020: Die Bevölkerung und ihr Erholungswald. Waldmonitoring soziokulturell. Zürcher Wald, 4-8.

Siedlungs- und Landschaftsentwicklung in agglomerationsnahen Räumen. Raumansprüche von Mensch und Natur

Das Schweizerische Raumplanungsgesetz verlangt von den Gemeinden ihre Siedlungsentwicklung einzuschränken bzw. nach innen zu richten. Das stellt die stark wachsenden Gemeinden um die Agglomerationen vor grosse Herausforderungen.

Merkblatt für die Praxis 56

2016

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Développement urbain et paysager dans les zones proches des agglomérations. Exigences spatiales de l'être humain et de la nature

Le développement urbain en Suisse n’inquiète pas seulement les urbanistes. La population dans son ensemble y voit également une menace pour le paysage, comme l’a montré la nette adoption de la révision de la loi sur l’aménagement du territoire lors de la votation populaire nationale de mars 2013.

Notice pour le praticien 56

2016

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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.

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