As a passionate naturalist, educator and activist, I am interested in the relationships humans have with the world around them, and the ecological, social and political contexts that govern them. In the last years, I have been focusing on aquatic systems: during my Bachelor, I worked on the impact of pesticide pollution of freshwater invertebrates, as well as an interdisciplinary project on hydropower planning and river protection in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
My Master thesis is centered around High-Alpine Alluvial Habitats (HAAH) freed by the melting of the glaciers in the Swiss Alps. In a context of energy and climate crisis, these areas are of high interest for infrastructure development, especially hydropower projects; simultaneously, they offer a rich and unique mosaic of microhabitats for pioneer wildlife. I am focusing on the diversity of spiders in these habitats, an under-studied arthropod group which plays a crucial role as early colonizers and predators regulating trophic systems. Through in-situ sampling, ecological mapping and occupancy modeling, I aim to gain knowledge about the distribution, ecological requirements and adaptive strategies of spiders in HAAHs, in the hopes to help shape a better management for those vital ecosystems.
