I am a landscape ecologist at XJTLU, whose research interests relate to the human aspects of biodiversity conservation and ecological restoration. My previous studies focused on land-use change and its ecological consequences on the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. My current research investigates the social–ecological mechanisms underlying the degradation of the Tibetan grasslands and the adaptations of local communities – including nomadic groups. I obtained my PhD from the University of Freiburg in Germany, then was a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Nature and Society of Peking University. I welcome research collaborations and internship applications. Please contact me through li.li01@xjtlu.edu.cn.
Qualifications
BA, Northwestern Polytechnic University – 2004
MA, Brandenburg University of Technology – 2012
PhD, University of Freiburg – 2018
Experience
Assistant Professor, Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, XJTLU, 2020 – present
Postdoctoral fellow, Center for Nature and Society, Peking University, 2018 – 2020
Community Conservation Fund Manager, Shan Shui Conservation Center, 2008 – 2009
Coordinator, Conservation International China Program, 2004 – 2008
Research interests
Grassland conservation and restoration
Biodiversity conservation in human landscapes
Landscape ecology
Social–ecological systems
Nature-based Solutions
Adaptive management
Tibetan Plateau
Articles
Chen Y, Zhao P, Xu QC, Qu BJ, Li D, Clement S, & Li L 2023: Relating biodiversity with health disparities of human population: An ecological study across the United States. One Health, 16, 100548. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.onehlt.2023.100548
Li L, Tietze DT, Fritz A, Basile M, Lü Z, Storch I 2022: Beta diversities of grassland birds indicate the importance of pastoralism for nature conservation of the Qinghai¬-Tibetan Plateau. Frontiers in Conservation Science 3:902887. doi: 10.3389/fcosc.2022.902887
Li L, Fassnacht FE, Bürgi M, 2021: Using a landscape ecological perspective to analyze regime shifts in social–ecological systems: a case study on grassland degradation of the Tibetan Plateau. Landscape Ecology:1-17. doi: 10.1007/s10980-021-01191-0
Li L, Hu RC, Huang JK, Bürgi M, Zhu ZY, Zhong J, Lü Z, 2020: A farmland biodiversity strategy is needed for China. Nature Ecology & Evolution 4(6): 772-774. doi: 0.1038/s41559-020-1161-2
Li L, Tietze DT, Fritz A, Lü Z, Bürgi M, Storch I, 2018: Rewilding cultural landscape potentially puts both avian diversity and endemism at risk: A Tibetan Plateau case study. Biological Conservation 224:75-86. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2018.05.008
Fritz A, Li L, Storch I, Koch B, 2018: UAV‐derived habitat predictors contribute strongly to understanding avian species–habitat relationships on the Eastern Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation 4(1):53-65. doi: 10.1002/rse2.73
Li L, Fassnacht FE, Storch I, Bürgi M, 2017: Land-use regime shift triggered the recent degradation of alpine pastures in Nyanpo Yutse of the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Landscape Ecology 32(11):2187-203. doi: 10.1007/s10980-017-0510-2
Bürgi M, Li L, Kizos T, 2015: Exploring links between culture and biodiversity: studying land use intensity from the plot to the landscape level. Biodiversity and Conservation 24:3285-3303. doi: 10.1007/s10531-015-0970-0
Fassnacht FE, Li L, Fritz A, 2015: Mapping degraded grassland on the Eastern Tibetan Plateau with multi-temporal Landsat 8 data—where do the severely degraded areas occur? International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation 42:115-127. doi: 10.1016/j.jag.2015.06.005
Li L, 2015: Review of Fachun Du, Ecological resettlement in the Sanjiangyuan of Qinghai. Nomadic Peoples 19:344-348. doi: 10.3197/np.2015.190214
Conference presentations
Li L, Guan XY, Song G, Tietze DT 2023: Multifaceted biodiversity of grassland birds indicate the importance of pastoralism for nature conservation of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. In the 30th International Congress for Conservation Biology, Kigali, July 23-27. Oral presentation
Li L, Li D, Fassnacht F, Bürgi M, Knops J 2023: Cross-scale interactions and ecological thresholds during grassland degradation process of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. In the 11th International Association for Landscape Ecology (IALE) World Congress, Nairobi, Kenya, July 10-14. Oral presentation
Li L, Tietze DT 2022: Extensive yak grazing benefits biodiversity conservation of the eastern Qinghai¬-Tibetan Plateau. In INTECOL 2022, Geneva, August 28 – September 2, online Oral presentation.
Li L, Tietze DT, Fritz A, Lü Z, Bürgi M, Storch I 2021: Restoring cultural landscape towards wilderness may put both avian diversity and endemism at risk: a Tibetan case study. In the Annual Conference of British Ornithologists’ Union, online, March 30 – April 1. Oral presentation
Li L, Tietze DT, Fritz A, Lü Z, Bürgi M, Storch I, 2019: The cultural landscape approach is viable for conserving endemic birds on the Tibetan Plateau. In the 29th International Congress for Conservation Biology, Kuala Lumpur, July 21-25. Oral presentation
Li L, Fritz A, Storch I, Koch B, 2019: Applying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to evaluate the impact of pastoral land uses on avian biodiversity in the Tibetan agricultural landscape. In the International Association of Landscape Ecology World Congress, Milano, July 1-5. Oral presentation
Li L, Fritz A, Tietze DT, Storch I, 2018: Disturbance, productivity and habitat heterogeneity are complementary in explaining avian diversity distribution on the Tibetan Plateau. In the Fifth China Conservation Biology Forum, Beijing, December 15. Oral presentation in Chinese
Li L, Tietze DT, Fritz A, Storch I, 2017: Consideration on alpine bird conservation of the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau: is diversity congruent with endemism? In the 6 Symposium Himalaya, Erfurt, April 21- 23. Oral presentation
Li L, Fritz A, Bürgi M, 2016: Measuring landscape characteristics for biodiversity conservation of the Eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. In the Global Land Project 3rd Open Science Meeting Beijing, 24th-27th October 2016. Oral presentation
Li L, Fritz A, Tietze DT, Storch I, 2016: What are the spatial distribution patterns of local avian biodiversity on the Eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau? Deutsche Ornithologen-Gesellschaft Ankündigung der 149. Jahresversammlung in Stralsund, September 28th – October 3rd 2016. Oral presentation
Li L & Bürgi M, 2015: Measuring past changes of land use intensity to understand present landscape structure and bird diversity distribution of the Eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. In the Historical Landscape Ecology Symposium, 9th International Association for Landscape Ecology (IALE) World Congress, Portland, Oregon, July 5-10, 2015. Oral presentation
Grants
2023 – 2024, PI, Research Development Fund at XJTLU, "Carbon sequestration potential of Kobresia grasslands of the Tibetan Plateau", RDF-22-01-069
2022 – 2024, PI, NSFC Young Scientist Fund, "Feedback mechanism and ecological threshold in the regime shift of alpine meadows on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, NSFC Young Scientist Fund", 42101098
2021 – 2024, Participant, NSFC, "Plants mediate the interaction between zokor and yak in alpine meadows of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau"
2020 – 2022, Participant, Ministry of Science and Technology, “Research and promotion of the key limiting-resource factors to restore grassland degradation of the Tibetan Plateau” , 2019YFC0507705
2019–2020, PI, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, "Avian species and functional diversity in the Social–Ecological System of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau", 2019M650322
Professional service activities
Journal reviewer: Ecology Letters, Landscape Ecology, Biodiversity and Conservation, Ecosystem Services, Ecological Indicators, Ecology and Evolution, Ecosystems, Global Ecology & Conservation, Journal of Mountain Science, Rangeland Ecology and Management, 生物多样性
Editorial board member: Landscape Ecology
Teaching activities
Master research supervision "Integrating remote sensing and land use analysis to investigate shrub encroachment on the Tibetan Plateau"
Final Year Project supervision "Assessing the carbon footprint of our diet: A Life Cycle Analysis of XJTLU canteen meals"
Final Year Project supervision "Aligning Baidu index and Google Trends to understand the dynamic of public interest in biodiversity and climate change in China and the UK: a comparative conservation culturomics study"
Final Year Project supervision "Scale effect on alpine meadow degradation detection using remote sensing technology"
Final Year Project supervision "Mapping stakeholder-perceived ecosystem services in restoration using Nature-based Solutions (NbS): a case study of Suzhou"
Principal supervisor of PhD project "Linking soil ecological functions to grassland degradation and restoration on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau"
Principal supervisor of PhD project "Adaptive management of Tibetan pastoral social-ecological system facing the challenge of grassland degradation"
SCI001, Explore Science
Courses taught
ENV317, Environment and Society
ENV102, Ecology and Conservation
ENV311, Environmental Management
Professional memberships
Society of Conservation Biology (SCB)
International Association for Landscape Ecology (IALE), International
Awards and honours
Best Outstanding Staff Award for Teaching Excellence 2020-2021, Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University
Best PhD Supervisor Award 2020-2021, Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Xi’an-Jiaotong Liverpool University
ES341(SIP Campus-Emerging & Interdisciplinary Sciences Building) Suzhou Dushu Lake Science and Education Innovation District Suzhou Industrial Park Suzhou P.R.China 215123
