Eric Lonsdorf

Lead Scientist, Natural Capital Project

Eric Lonsdorf is a lead scientist with the Natural Capital Project, a collaborative partnership between the University of Minnesota, Stanford University, the Nature Conservancy and the World Wildlife Fund. Eric develops ecological models for decision-makers faced with making decisions in conservation biology and natural resource management under considerable uncertainty with limited resources.

Specifically, he leads development and application of a model to predict crop pollination services provided by wild bees; works with government and non-governmental organizations to develop options of compensatory mitigation for incidental take of golden eagles by wind turbine facilities; and is interested in applying principles of adaptive management to ecosystem service–based land management.

Ultimately, he thinks of conservation management problems like a business problem in which a species or community or ecosystem function of concern is a commodity to be produced with the greatest certainty and managed at the least cost. Eric earned his Ph.D. in ecology, evolution and behavior from the University of Minnesota. He lives in Lancaster, Pa., with his wife, daughter and son.