Research focus
I study tourism-related wastewater pollution on small tropical islands, with case studies in Indonesia and Colombia. My research aims to understand how wastewater from the tourism sector is generated, how it is transported through groundwater and coastal waters, and how it affects socio-ecological systems.
For this, I combine classical environmental science and ecotoxicological methods with social science approaches. This includes investigating chemical pollution and biological responses in marine organisms, as well as analyzing how stakeholders in the tourism sector perceive wastewater pollution, make decisions, and navigate structural challenges to sustainable wastewater management.
Current Project
TransTourism - Transdisciplinary Science for Sustainable Tourism
The project TransTourismus aims to support tourism communities in solving the challenges of wastewater management in a transdisciplinary framework, together with various stakeholders from coastal tourism communities in the tropics. The ultimate aim is to support decision-making and suggest solutions for wastewater management through a deliberative and participatory process.