Lisbet Christoffersen

Lisbet is a researcher at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), in the Landscape Management and Governance theme group at the Department of Landscape Architecture Planning and Management. 

For almost 20 years she ran her own landscaping business as a Forest and Landscape Engineer (from 1997). In parallel she occationally worked as a consultant to environmental and development NGOs, primarily in Latin America. In 2011 she decided to turn to acadiemia.

Within the broad field of political ecology, her PhD project (University of Copenhagen, Dept. of Food and Resource Economics, Global Development group) explored how indigenous peoples in the Bolivian Amazon imagine and negotiate development that differs from that of the national government. Theoretically, the thesis draws upon critical debates within development research, including that of post-development. Empirically, it builds on repeated field studies in indigenous territories, investigating strategies of self-determination, participation and nature perceptions. The project was an extension of the master thesis revolving around 'territorial' indigenous peoples' involvement in political decision-making. 

As an 'industrial PhD fellow', Lisbet was employed at the NGO Forests of the World (Denmark), with which she is still affiliated, currently as a member of the board.

Lisbet has been a member of the Danish Forestry Council, an advisory committee of the Danish Minister of Environment for 9 years, ending in 2026.  

Interests: Governance, Environmental Justice, Participation, Stakeholder Engagement, Biodiversity (wilder nature)

Formas project room4water, WP3 (community engagement) 2023-2026 

Postdoc project 2022-2025: 'Wilder Nature - The human factor in biodiversity-promoting measures'

PhD project 2015-2018: 'Amazonean Alternatives. Imagining and Negotiating Development in Lowland Bolivia'

Since 2023: Course responsible and teaching at the bachelor course 'Forest and Landscape Governance'. 

Since 2025, Program Study Director-deputy for the program Forest and Landscape.

Supervision and examinations.

2021-2027, Roskilde University: Affiliation as external lecturer

2019, School for Field Studies in Peru: Responsible for the course 'Political Ecology of Developing Landscapes, including development of curriculum, teaching and exams. Specific focus on political economy; indigenous peoples, power relations and nature perceptions. Numerous field visits,

2018, University of Copenhagen. Teaching at the master course 'Global Environmental Governance, Dept. of Food and Resource Economics