Editorial Masthead
Editorial Board Member
-
2025 –Gregory Egger
Naturraumplanung Egger
apl Prof. Mag. Dr. Gregory Egger has been working in the research field of riparian ecosystems since 1988. His focus is on analyzing interactions between floodplain vegetation and hydrogeomorphology. He investigated vegetation ecology of natural river systems. While he initially worked primarily in alpine river systems, he later expanded his investigations to global scales. In addition to his work as a researcher at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and BOKU University, he is also engaged in consulting with his own office ‘Naturraumplanung Egger e.U.’ in Austria. His field of activity are expert assessments on environmental and nature conservation projects and landscape management.
Research projects and publications: https://www.ifgg.kit.edu/mitarbeiter_egger.php -
2025 –Mag. Franz Hoelzl, PhD
Carinthia University of Applied Sciences
Franz Hölzl holds a PhD from the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, where he studied hibernation and its impact on telomere dynamics in edible dormice (Glis glis). Throughout his research career, he has worked at the intersection of ecological genetics and wildlife biology, utilizing advanced molecular tools and non-invasive genetic methods to address ecological and conservation questions. After completing his PhD in 2016, he worked as a PostDoc at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, where he co-managed the ecological genetics laboratory at the Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology. During this time, he led the genetic monitoring of wolves (Canis lupus) in Austria and developed high-throughput genotyping methods for predator identification and hybrid detection.
Franz has continued to work on non-invasive genetic monitoring of diverse taxa, including the application of environmental DNA (eDNA) and metabarcoding approaches to detect pathogens and survey species. Currently working as Key researcher at the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences, he is firmly rooted in fundamental ecological, his work retains a strong focus on practical application to inform environmental scenarios, conservation strategies, and wildlife management.
-
2025 –Michael Jungmeier
Carinthia University of Applied Sciences
Michael Jungmeier (born 1965 in Innsbruck, Austria) is an ecologist and PhD-trained human geographer who researches and teaches as a professor at the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences (Austria). He holds the UNESCO Chair in Sustainable Management of Conservation Areas and leads the Interdisciplinary Center for Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity (ICEB). His work focuses on human–environment relations in protected areas, with a particular emphasis on UNESCO-designated territories, including World Heritage Sites, Biosphere Reserves, and Geoparks. He serves as Editor of Carinthia Nature Tech and is a member of the MAB Committee of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.
-
2025 –Hanns Kirchmeir
E.C.O. Institut of Ecology
Hanns Kirchmeir studied at the University of Vienna at the Department of Vegetation Ecology and Conservation Research and also worked there for 5 years on the MAB project "Hemeroby of Austrian Forest Ecosystems". For more than 25 years he has been working at E.C.O. Institute of Ecology in Klagenfurt as a scientist and project manager. Since 2020, he has been managing Director of E.C.O.
His key expertise is in forest ecology, biodiversity monitoring and protected area management. He was engaged in long-term monitoring activities in protected areas as well as on national level.
ƒ√
-
2025 –Tamara Schenekar
University of Graz
Tamara Schenekar holds a PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Graz, where she studied the genetic composition of wild and hatchery populations of brown trout (Salmo trutta). Throughout her research career, she has worked at the intersection of basic science and applied conservation, utilizing non-invasive genetic tools to address ecological and biodiversity questions. After completing her PhD in 2015, she worked at the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia, where she analyzed the genetic diversity of cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) and developed non-invasive identification methods for carnivores.
Since her return to Austria in 2017, Tamara continues to work on non-invasive genetic monitoring of (mostly) vertebrates, including environmental DNA (eDNA) -based approaches, to address applied aspects of biodiversity research and environmental conservation. Some of her recent projects involve large-scale surveys of Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra) in Austria and neighbouring countries, as well as studies on mammalian fauna in Southern Africa. Her current research focuses on the application of environmental DNA and RNA technologies to monitor species communities in aquatic and terrestrial systems across Europe, South Africa, and Botswana. While firmly rooted in fundamental science, her work retains a strong focus on practical application to inform conservation strategies and ecosystem management.
-
2026 –Kirsten von Elverfeldt
HeiGIT gGmbH
Associate Professor Dr Kirsten von Elverfeldt studied Geography, Soil Science, and Meteorology in Bonn and Cork, obtained her doctorate in Vienna in 2010 and qualified as a professor of Geography in Klagenfurt in 2016. Between 2011 and 2023, she researched and taught at the University of Klagenfurt in the fields of the Anthropocene, climate change, society-environment relations and scientific theory before moving to HeiGIT (Heidelberg Institute for Geoinformation Technology) at the end of 2023. There, she works with an outstanding team to develop climate action indicators for the benefit of the environment and society. She is active in Scientists for Future Austria and Germany and advocates for an urgently needed major societal transformation.
Journal editor
-
2025 –Lilia Schmalzl
Carinthia University of Applied Sciences
Senior Researcher, key project manager, and coordinator in the research field of visitor monitoring and impact assessment of visitors on natural values at the UNESCO Chair. Lilia holds a degree in Geography and Spatial Research from University of Klagenfurt and the Nature Conservation Engineer certification from CUAS. She serves in the Editorial Office as a formal editor and through promotion of the journal.
-
2026 –Ilja Svetnik
CUAS
Ilja Svetnik is a science communicator and zoologist with a background in population genetics and works at the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences as a science researcher for the UNESCO Chair and an outreach-officer for the Interdisciplinary Center for Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity (ICEB).
After graduating from high school, he worked in south-west Spain on wildlife monitoring before returning to Austria to enroll in the bachelors-program of Biology at the University of Graz. Ilja focused his bachelor-thesis on the systematics and distribution of native centipede (Chilopoda) species and added to that during his master’s program on evolution and ecology by writing a red-list on centipedes for Carinthia and Styria and conducting genetic analysis (i.e. DNA-barcoding) to add to the barcode initiative (ABOL).
At the end of his masters, Ilja focused more and more on education and science communication and worked for the student’s union as an independent advisor and organizer, as well as founding a wild-bee initiative and providing workshops on the topic to the public for free. His passion remains in communication and education, yet he enjoys his time in the field and the lab for hands-on research.
View Editorial History