Dr. Agata A. Konczal – Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies

Dr. Agata A. Konczal

Wageningen University
Environmental Anthropology, Political Ecology, Environmental History

External Fellow (FRESCO Programme)
July 2025 – August 2025

Website

E-Mail: agata.konczal@wur.nl

Last Update: 04.03.2025

Curriculum Vitae

Agata A. Konczal is an Assistant Professor at the Wageningen University, in Forest and Nature Conservation Policy Group. Before joining Wageningen University in 2022, she was a researcher at the European Forest Institute, where she led the European Forest Governance and Society Team. She has a background in humanities and social science and holds a PhD in social and cultural anthropology. Her specialisation lies in environmental anthropology, political ecology, environmental history. She is currently working on establishing forest anthropology as a field of research and developing FORAGE – Forest Anthropology Working Group on Europe and Beyond. Agata’s main research interests are studies on perception, understanding and use of forests by different social groups, various approaches to, and interpretations of nature protection (e.g. within rewilding projects), and interdisciplinary research relating to forest and environmental topics. In her current research, Agata examines how forests are increasingly politicised as easy solutions for climate change, biodiversity, rural areas, and development issues. Her research delves into diverse perspectives and strategies for addressing the “forest crisis” within the wider scope of climate change and the uncertain future of forests. This includes the exploration of different framings of forest disturbance and restoration, and the role of diverse social and cultural values in forest and nature management.

Selected Publications

Exploring the Green Frontier within Europe’s Recent Forest Initiatives. Geoforum. 104242 A. Konczal, J. Asselin.
Hands off our forests!” – The impact of the authoritarian rule on Polish forest policy in the context of the European Green Deal. Forest Policy and Economics. Vol. 171. K. Niedziałkowski, A. Konczal, M. Mielewczyk.
Forest restoration paradigms and conflicts in Europe. International Forest Review. Vol. 27, Issue 1, p. 1-15. L. O’Brien, A. Konczal, A. Begemann, M. Lovrić, N. Lovrić, S. Fleckenstein, G. Winkel.
Integrating nature conservation measures in European forest management–An exploratory study of barriers and drivers in 9 European countries. Journal of Environmental Management 325 (2023): 116619. A. Konczal, J. Derks, J. C. H. de Koning, G. Winkel.
Exploring evolving spiritual values of forests in Europe and Asia: a transition hypothesis toward re-spiritualizing forests. Ecology and Society 27 (4). J. Roux, A. Konczal, A. Bernasconi, S. Bhagwat, R. De Vreese, I. Doimo, V. Marini Govigli, J. Kašpar, R. Kohsaka, D. Pettenella, T. Plieninger, Z. Shakeri, S. Shibata, K. Stara, T. Takahashi, M. Torralba, L. Tyrväinen, G. Weiss, G. Winkel.

FRIAS Project

Relational values within frameworks for social-ecological systems research in forests

Increasing age causes progressive deterioration of tissues and organs, leading to impaired tissue function, increased organismal vulnerability to infection, and death. Hence ageing is recognized as a prime disease factor. Improving health in the elderly will be crucial to deal with the enormous socio-economic challenges arising as a consequence of increased life expectancy. Membranes are at the center of cellular biology, compartmentalizing cells into functional distinct sub-compartments and constituting scaffolds for signal initiation and propagation. Hence, it is not surprising that deregulated membrane trafficking emerges also as key processes in ageing and disease. By combining model organisms, such as C.elegans and mouse, with mammalian cell culture, advanced molecular biology and protein biochemistry, and ‘omics’ approaches we aim at characterizing deregulated membrane trafficking in ageing and disease. This will allow a functional understanding of underlying biological processes which can be employed to design strategies promoting healthy ageing.