Johan Månsson

I am a researcher and Associate Professor in wildlife ecology at Grimsö Wildlife Research Station.

My background is in forestry, and I completed the Forest Science programme at SLU in Uppsala. After finishing the master of science in forestry, I pursued a PhD focusing on moose foraging ecology and the damage caused in young forest stands when moose browse on regenerating trees. Since 2008, I have worked as a researcher at SLU, with a continued focus on wildlife ecology and management.

I am interested in how wild animals move through our managed landscapes and why they choose to feed and spend time in some places but not others. As forestry, agriculture and other forms of land use intensify, interactions between people and wildlife also increase. These interactions may be direct encounters, but they can also involve geese feeding on crops or moose browsing in young forest stands.

Such interactions between wildlife and people can create conflicts between different societal interests, for example between agriculture, forestry and nature conservation.

In my research, I aim to improve our understanding of wildlife and how we can reduce the damage animals sometimes cause. By studying their behaviour and needs, I seek solutions that make it possible for people and wildlife to coexist in the landscape. I began my research focusing on moose and other ungulates, but over time I have broadened my perspective to include large carnivores and birds such as geese, cranes and diving ducks. Regardless of species, the goal is the same: to understand how animals adapt to a landscape that is constantly changing due to human land use, and how we can manage it in ways that work for both nature and people.

2013- Researcher at the Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) since September 2013. Part time at the unit “Wildlife Damage Centre” (WDC) and half time through other externally founded research.

2009-2013 Research Associate at the Department of Conservation Biology, SLU-Grimsö 

2008-2009 Post-doc at the Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, SLU-Umeå

2002-2007 PhD-position at the Department of Conservation Biology, SLU-Grimsö 

For a full list of my publications, please see my Google Scholar profile and the SLU publication database.

Google scholar profile

SLU-publications

van Toor, M. L., Fleming, C. H., Liljebäck, N., Månsson, J., Waldenström, J., & Elmberg, J. In press. Do GPS collars and coded neckbands tell the same story about year-round movements in geese? Movement Ecology.

Gicquel, M., Alonso, J. C., Nilsson, L., Low, M., Alonso, J. A., Boiko, D., Bridge, Cruz, C., D., Dulau, P., Heinicke, T., Kettner, A., Kiat, Y., Kurlavičius, P., Lundgren, S., Modrow, M., Nowald, G., Ojaste, I., Salvi, A., Sandvik, J., Ticháčková, M., … Månsson, J. (In press). Age-specific survival estimation of a Eurasian crane population highlights a concerning long-term decline in juvenile survival. Ecology and Evolution

Skov, H., Heinänen, S., Mortensen, L.O., Månsson, J., Nilsson, L., Tjørnløv R., & Žydelis, R. (2025). Flight altitude of common cranes (Grus grus) crossing the Arkona Basin (Baltic Sea): implications for offshore wind farm development. Ecology and Evolution 15:12 (e72714) https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.72714

Liljebäck, N., Sørensen, I. H., Haas, F., Sterup, J., Stålnäbb, J. & Månsson, J. (2025). Interspecific variation in hatching success among three sea duck species at one breeding site in the Baltic Sea. Wildfowl 75: 185-201. https://tidsskrift.dk/Wildfowl/article/view/162741/204297 

Gicquel, M., Alonso, J. C., Nilsson, L., Low, M., Alonso, J. A., Boiko, D., Bridge, D., Dulau, P., Heinicke, T., Kettner, A., Kiat, Y., Kurlavičius, P., Lundgren, S., Modrow, M., Nowald, G., Ojaste, I., Salvi, A., Sandvik, J., Ticháčková, M., … Månsson, J. (2025). Factors affecting detection probability: Insights from banding data in a long-term continent-wide monitoring program. Ecological Indicators, 178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2025.114020

Olsson, C., Nilsson, L., Elmberg J., Månsson, J. (2025). Field selection in a guild of geese: Seasonal dynamics and implications for crop damage mitigation. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2025.109913

Eklund, A., Eriksson, L., Johansson, M., Sandström, C., Månsson, J., & Elmberg, J. (2025). Disseminating research of goose damage prevention–evaluating effects of message framing and farmer experience. Human Dimensions of Wildlife. https://doi.org/10.1080/10871209.2025.2529876

Elmberg, J., Svensson, E., Kvarnbäck, E., Olsson, C., & Månsson, J. (2025). Fearfulness of geese and swans on cropland in winter: A multi-species flight initiation distance approach. Wildlife Biology, 2025(4). https://doi.org/10.1002/wlb3.01332

Hemminger, K., Eriksson, L., Nilsson, L., Månsson, J., König, H., Bellingrath-Kimura, S. D., Hallengren, A., Ostermann-Myashita, E.-F., & Kiffner, C. (2025). Farmers’ tolerance for crop damage caused by wildlife: The role of compensation. Wildlife Biology, 2025(4). https://doi.org/10.1002/wlb3.01243

Månsson, J., Liljebäck, N., Buij, R., Moonen, S., & Elmberg, J. (2025). Regional differences in crippling rate in greylag geese Anser anser. Wildlife Biology, 2025(4). https://doi.org/10.1002/wlb3.01356

Wikenros, C., Zimmermann, B., Månsson, J., Eriksen, A., Wabakken, P., & Sand, H. (2025). Retrospective analyses to understand how wolf territory density impacts moose quotas, harvest and observation rate. European Journal of Wildlife Research, 71(3). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-025-01920-9