Prof. Dr. David Abson

21335 Lüneburg, Universitätsallee 1, C11.125
Fon +49.4131.677-2539, david.abson@leuphana.de
Professor*in, Professorship of Sustainable Resource Use

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Vita

I am a problem centred interdisciplinary scientist working within the field of sustainability economics and sustainability science, with a particular emphasis on food system research. My primary research interests revolve around three broad interdisciplinary research areas:

1) The integration of economic, social and natural science perspectives on sustainability issues within the context of multifunctional agro-ecosystems (e.g. Abson et al. 2013; Abson et al. 2014a; Fischer et al. 2014, Loos et al 2014; von Wehrden et al. 2014). Here I seek to understand the ways in which different domains of knowledge conceptualise and operationalize sustainable agriculture and what tools, theories and approaches can act as effective interfaces for interdisciplinary research that acknowledges the tied socio-ecological nature of agro-ecosystems. 

2) The theory and operationalization of the concept of “ecosystems services”, with a particular focus on ecosystem service perception, valuation and the normative foundations of the concept (e.g. Abson and Termansen 2011; Abson and Hanspach 2013; Abson et al. 2014b; Brant et al. 2013; Gralla et al. 2014a; Milcu et al. 2013; Milcu et al. 2014). Here I seek to apply systemic approaches to conceptualizing and critiquing the ecosystem services framework as a means of understanding and managing the interdependencies between societies and their environments.

3) Systemic understanding and modelling of complex systems (e.g. Abson et al. 2013b; Mikulcak et al. 2015), including an interest in resilience thinking (e.g. Abson et al. 2012; Abson et al. 2013; Abson et al. 2017), transdisciplinary (e.g. Brant et al. 2014, Gralla et al. 2014b) and scenario modelling (e.g. Bateman et al. 2014a; Hanspach et al. 2016).

My research employs interdisciplinary research frameworks and methods ranging from biophysical (e.g. Bateman et al 2014b; O’Neill and Abson, 2009), economic (Abson et al. 2013; Abson et al 2014) and statistical (Abson et al. 2014a) modelling, landscape ecology (Hartel et al, 2014) and systems thinking. Spanning the broad research interests outlined above is a keen interest in the operationalization of complex (often heuristic) models into novel, nuanced real world sustainability problems and the challenge of considering spatial and temporal scale in empirical research. 

Academic Career

  • Since 2017: Professor of Sustainability Economics and Assessment
  • 2012-2017: PostDoc Position, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Faculity of Sustainability, Germany
  • 2007-2011: PhD student and post doctoral researcher, University of Leeds, School of Earth and Environment, United Kingdom

Awards

  • 2023: ERC Consolidator Grant ("Mainstreaming Social-Ecological Sufficiency: Closing the sustainable consumption gap between societal demand and ecological limits”)

Projects

  1. Mainstreaming Social-Ecological Sufficiency: Closing the sustainable consumption gap between societal demand and ecological limits (ERC Consolidator Grant)
    David James Abson (Project manager, academic)
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    Project: Research

  2. Towards a Sustainable Bioeconomy: A Scenario Analysis for the Jimma Coffee Landscape in Ethiopia
    Joern Fischer (Project manager, academic) , Jannik Schultner (Project manager, academic) , David James Abson (Project manager, academic) , Dula Wakassa Duguma (Project manager, academic) , Tolera Senbeto Jiren (Project staff) , Maria Brück (Project staff)
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    Project: Research

  3. Leverage Points for Sustainability Transformation: Institutions, People and Knowledge
    Ulrike Vilsmaier (Project manager, academic) , Daniel Johannes Lang (Project manager, academic) , Jens Newig (Project manager, academic) , Joern Fischer (Project manager, academic) , Claus-Thomas Schomerus (Project manager, academic) , Henrik Wehrden (Project manager, academic) , Annelie Bettina Elisabeth Sieveking (Project staff) , Kathleen Theresa Klaniecki (Project staff) , Christian Dorninger (Project staff) , Elizabeth Anne Clarke (Project staff) , Andra-Ioana Horcea-Milcu (Project staff) , David Lam (Project staff) , Ioana Alexandra Patru-Duse (Project staff) , Nicolas Wilhelm Jager (Project staff) , Pim Derwort (Project staff) , Ioana Alexandra Patru-Duse (Project staff) , Cristina-Ioana Apetrei (Project staff) , Rebecca Claire Freeth (Project staff) , Moritz Engbers (Project staff) , Daniela Peukert (Project staff) , Anne Jo Berkau (Project staff) , Lotte Marie Lutz (Coordination) , Julia Mildorfová-Leventon (Project manager, academic) , David James Abson (Project manager, academic)
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    Project: Research

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Publications

Books and anthologies

  1. Harmonising biodiversity conservation and food security in southwestern Ethiopia
    Girma Shumi Dugo (Author) , Jan Hanspach (Author) , Tolera Senbeto Jiren (Author) , David James Abson (Author) , Joern Fischer (Author) , Aisa O. Manlosa (Author) , Patrícia Rodrigues (Author) , Kristoffer Hylander (Author) , Jannik Schultner (Author) , Ine Dorresteijn (Author) , Milena Mausbach (Author) , Feyera Senbeta (Author) , 2020 1 ed. Sofia , 166 p.

    Research output: Books and anthologies › Book › Research

  2. Sustainable Landscapes in Central Romania: A social-ecological study on the future of Southern Transylvania
    Jacqueline Loos (Author) , David James Abson (Author) , Ine Dorresteijn (Author) , Jan Hanspach (Author) , Tibor Hartel (Author) , Andra-Ioana Horcea-Milcu (Author) , Friederike Mikulcak (Author) , Joern Fischer (Author) , 2016 Sofia , 99 p.

    Research output: Books and anthologies › Monographs › Transfer

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Journal contributions

  1. Reconceptualizing the role of socioeconomic material stocks in the leverage points framework to enable transformative change
    Willi Haas (Author) , David James Abson (Author) , Helmut Haberl (Author) , Nathalie Spittler (Author) , Dominik Wiedenhofer (Author) , Christian Dorninger (Author) , 01.01.2026 , in: Ecological Economics, 239 , 9 p.

    Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

  2. Mapping the intersection of planetary boundaries and environmentally extended input-output analysis: A systematic literature review
    María Fernanda Godoy León (Author) , David James Abson (Author) , Alison Bankert (Author) , Diego Torralva Becerra (Author) , 01.06.2025 , in: Sustainable Production and Consumption, 56 , p. 546-560 , 15 p.

    Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research

  3. Revisiting the sustainability science research agenda
    David James Abson (Author) , Mesfin Sahle (Author) , Shruti Ashish Lahoti (Author) , So Young Lee (Author) , Katja Brundiers (Author) , Carena J. van Riper (Author) , Christian Pohl (Author) , Herlin Chien (Author) , Iris C. Bohnet (Author) , Noé Aguilar-Rivera (Author) , Peter Edwards (Author) , Prajal Pradhan (Author) , Tobias Plieninger (Author) , Wiebren Johannes Boonstra (Author) , Alexander G. Flor (Author) , Annamaria Di Fabio (Author) , Arnim Scheidel (Author) , Chris Gordon (Author) , Erik Andersson (Author) , Federico Demaria (Author) , Jasper O. Kenter (Author) , Jeremy Brooks (Author) , Joanne Kauffman (Author) , Maike Hamann (Author) , Martin Graziano (Author) , Nidhi Nagabhatla (Author) , Nobuo Mimura (Author) , Nora Fagerholm (Author) , Patrick O’Farrell (Author) , Osamu Saito (Author) , Kazuhiko Takeuchi (Author) , 01.01.2025 , in: Sustainability Science, 20, 1 , p. 1-19 , 19 p.

    Research output: Journal contributions › Other (editorial matter etc.) › Research

  4. Land use intensification causes the spatial contraction of woody-plant based ecosystem services in southwestern Ethiopia
    Dula Wakassa Duguma (Author) , Girma Shumi Dugo (Author) , David James Abson (Author) , Joern Fischer (Author) , Elizabeth Law (Author) , Jannik Schultner (Author) , 01.12.2024 , in: Communications Earth and Environment, 5, 1 , 10 p.

    Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

  5. A social-ecological approach to support equitable land use decision-making
    Maria Brück (Author) , Felipe Christian Roberto Benra (Author) , Dula Wakassa Duguma (Author) , Joern Fischer (Author) , Tolera Senbeto Jiren (Author) , Manuel Pacheco Romero (Author) , David James Abson (Author) , Elizabeth A. Law (Author) , Jannik Schultner (Author) , 01.12.2024 , in: Ambio, 53, 12 , p. 1752-1767 , 16 p.

    Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

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Contributions to collected editions/anthologies

  1. The resilience of Australian agricultural landscapes characterised by land-sparing versus land-sharing
    David James Abson (Author) , Joern Fischer (Author) , Kate Sherren (Author) , 01.05.2019 Cambrige , p. 232-252 , 21 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Research

  2. The economic drivers and consequences of agricultural specialization
    David James Abson (Author) , 01.01.2018 , p. 301-315 , 15 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Research › peer-review

  3. Sustainability and Ecosystems
    Henrik Wehrden (Author) , David James Abson (Author) , Werner Härdtle (Author) , Goddert von Oheimb (Author) , 01.01.2016 Dordrecht , p. 61-70 , 10 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Chapter › Research › peer-review

  4. The economic value of soil carbon
    David James Abson (Author) , Unai Pascual (Author) , Mette Termansen (Author) , 01.01.2015 Wallingford , p. 179-187 , 9 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Research › peer-review

  5. Valuation approaches for soil carbon
    David James Abson (Author) , Unai Pascual (Author) , Mette Termansen (Author) , 01.01.2015 Wallingford , p. 214-223 , 10 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Research › peer-review

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Activities

Press / Media

Teaching