Profile

Marianne Zandersen, Dr.rer.pol., is a professor in environmental economics in the Environmental Social Science and Geography Section, Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University. Marianne has more than 20 years experience working with research and advisory services across Europe, Africa and Asia.

Marianne did her Ph.D. at Hamburg University and at the International Max Planck Research School on Earth System Modelling (IMPRS-ESM), Germany.

Research

Marianne Zandersen researches environmental and behavioral economics in the fields of urban and peri-urban systems, nature-based solutions, climate change and ecosystem management across different habitats (forests, agriculture, coastal, marine, mountains). This includes analyses of perceptions, values, willingness to pay for improvements or willingness to accept a deterioration of conditions and incentive based mechanisms such as payment for ecosystem services, taxes or subsidies to reduce externalities or enhance the optimal delivery of social goods such as clean air, water and biodiversity.

Cooperation and dissemination

Marianne Zandersen coordinated the H2020 project ‘REGREEN’ (2019-2024) on Nature-based Solutions in relation to fostering equitable, healthy and green urban transitions in Europe and China. She currently leads a work package on the economic and financial performance of Nature-based Solutions in the Horizon Europe funded project Invest4Nature (2022-2026) and also leads a work package on evidence supporting systemic change in the Horizon Europe funded project GoNaturePositive (2024-2027). She is the principal investigator from Aarhus University of the Danida funded CREAM project (2019-2025) and a project leader from Aarhus University in the European Topic Center for Climate Change Adaptation and LULUCF of the European Environment Agency (EEA ETC/CA) (2022-2026). She has a wide collaboration network across Europe as well as in China and Ghana.

Marianne co-leads the resilience and adaptation research activity in iClimate – Aarhus University Interdisciplinary Centre for Climate Change.

Marianne was part of the Danish National Biodiversity Partnership (2023-2024) providing recommendations to the Minister of Environment on actions by industry, associations and public institutions on enhancing biodiversity and nature positive actions.