Dr. Gunnar Dreßler
Contact
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ
Department of Ecological Modelling
Permoserstr. 15
04318 Leipzig
Germany
Tel.: +49 341 235-1707
Fax: +49 341 235-451707
gunnar.dressler@ufz.de
Research Interests
I strive to understand the dynamics of complex social-ecological systems under global change using dynamic modelling approaches. In particular, I focus on:- Uncovering regime shifts and tipping point dynamics in social-ecological systems
- Simulating impacts of climate change and extreme events (e.g., droughts) on ecosystem dynamics
- Analyzing the effects of policy instruments and management strategies on land-use dynamics
- Emergence of polarization and poverty traps
- Better representing human decision-making in agent-based models
- Developing model upscaling methods
- Improving the usefulness of models to support policy and management
Current Projects
Effects of drought‑induced forest dieback and reforestation scenarios on water quality in rivers and reservoirs. (since 01/2023).
NamTip 2 – A Namibian Perspective on Desertification Tipping Points in the Face of Climate Change (09/2023-08/2025).
NamTip - Understanding and Managing Desertification Tipping Points in Dryland Social-Ecological Systems – A Namibian Perspective (03/2019-07/2023).
Past Projects
BESTMAP - Behavioural, Ecological and Socio-economic Tools for Modelling Agricultural Policy (09/2019-08/2023).
PostDoc in the Junior Research Group POLISES - Global food security policies and their social-ecological side effects in regions prone to global change (08/2014-10/2019).
PhD Thesis "Analyzing resource use decisions under global change by agent-based modeling." as part of the projects "emBRACE" and "POLISES".
Defended at University of Osnabrück, Institute of Environmental Systems Research on April 04, 2017.
Defended at University of Osnabrück, Institute of Environmental Systems Research on April 04, 2017.
EU project emBRACE - Building Resilience Amongst Communities in Europe. (until Sep. 2015)
Curriculum Vitae
| since 03/2019 | Postdoctoral researcher, BMBF-funded research project NamTip - Understanding and Managing Desertification Tipping Points in Dryland Social-Ecological Systems – A Namibian Perspective |
| 04/2018 - 08/2018 | Research stay at Stockholm Resilience Center. |
| 04/2017 - 02/2019 | Postdoctoral researcher, Junior Research Group POLISES Global food security policies and their social-ecological side effects in regions prone to global change |
| 02/2012 - 04/2017 | PhD student at the Department of Ecological Modeling, Junior Research Group POLISES & EU research project emBRACE |
| 10/2006 - 11/2011 | Diploma in Biomathematics, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University of Greifswald Thesis: Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Global Vegetation Patterns from Remotely Sensed Images in cooperation with Dr. Thomas Mueller, University of Maryland. |
| 02/2011 - 04/2011 | MSc researcher, University of Maryland, Bill Fagan Lab, Development and application of methods to quantify spatial and temporal vegetation dynamics from remote sensing images. |
| 2011 | Scholarship recipient of the UMD-SI Seed Grant: "How vegetation dynamics drive ungulate movements: Transforming single species studies to global comparisons". |
| 08/2010 - 09/2010 | Student assistant at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department of Ecological Modelling, Development of an agent-based model to analyze the influence of mobility on the sustainability of a pastoral-nomadic system. |
| 08/2009 - 10/2009 | Internship student, University of Maryland, Bill Fagan Lab, Development of methods to compare resource dynamics in different ecosystems. |
Publications
2025 (1)
- Letschert, J., Müller, B., Dressler, G., Möllmann, C., Stelzenmüller, V. (2025):
Simulating fishery dynamics by combining empirical data and behavioral theory
Ecol. Model. 501 , art. 111036 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2025.111036
2024 (3)
- Berger, U., Bell, A., Barton, C.M., Chappin, E., Dreßler, G., Filatova, T., Fronville, T., Lee, A., van Loon, E., Lorscheid, I., Meyer, M., Müller, B., Piou, C., Radchuk, V., Roxburgh, N., Schüler, L., Troost, C., Wijermans, N., Williams, T.G., Wimmler, M.-C., Grimm, V. (2024):
Towards reusable building blocks for agent-based modelling and theory development
Environ. Modell. Softw. 175 , art. 106003 10.1016/j.envsoft.2024.106003 - Heita, H.T.N., Dressler, G., Schwieger, D.A.M., Mbidzo, M. (2024):
Pastoralists’ perceptions on the future of cattle farming amidst rangeland degradation: A case study from Namibia's semiarid communal areas
Rangelands 46 (1), 1 - 12 10.1016/j.rala.2023.10.001 - Letschert, J., Müller, B., Dressler, G., Möllmann, C., Stelzenmüller, V. (2024):
FISHCODE - FIsheries Simulation with Human COmplex DEcision-making
Version: 1.1.0 CoMSES Model Library 10.25937/dzcq-6c02
2022 (2)
- Dressler, G., Groeneveld, J., Hetzer, J., Janischewski, A., Nolzen, H., Rödig, E., Schwarz, N., Taubert, F., Thober, J., Will, M., Williams, T., Wirth, S.B., Müller, B. (2022):
Upscaling in socio-environmental systems modelling: Current challenges, promising strategies and insights from ecology
Socio-Environmental Systems Modelling 4 , art. 18112 10.18174/sesmo.18112 - Will, M., Backes, A., Campenni, M., Cronk, L., Dressler, G., Gornott, C., Groeneveld, J., Habtemariam, L.T., Kraehnert, K., Kraus, M., Lenel, F., Osgood, D., Taye, M., Müller, B. (2022):
Improving the design of climate insurance: combining empirical approaches and modelling
Clim. Dev. 14 (9), 804 - 813 10.1080/17565529.2021.2007837
2021 (3)
- Care, O., Bernstein, M.J., Chapman, M., Diaz Reviriego, I., Dressler, G., Felipe-Lucia, M.R., Friis, C., Graham, S., Hänke, H., Haider, L.J., Hernández-Morcillo, M., Hoffmann, H., Kernecker, M., Nicol, P., Piñeiro, C., Pitt, H., Schill, C., Seufert, V., Shu, K., Valencia, V., Zaehringer, J.G. (2021):
Creating leadership collectives for sustainability transformations
Sustain. Sci. 16 (2), 703 - 708 10.1007/s11625-021-00909-y - Will, M., Dressler, G., Kreuer, D., Thulke, H.-H., Grêt‐Regamey, A., Müller, B. (2021):
How to make socio‐environmental modelling more useful to support policy and management?
People Nat. 3 (3), 560 - 572 10.1002/pan3.10207 - Williams, T.G., Dressler, G., Stratton, A.E., Müller, B. (2021):
Ecological and financial strategies provide complementary benefits for smallholder climate resilience: insights from a simulation model
Ecol. Soc. 26 (2), art. 14 10.5751/ES-12207-260214
2020 (2)
- Schwarz, N., Dressler, G., Frank, K., Jager, W., Janssen, M., Müller, B., Schlüter, M., Wijermans, N., Groeneveld, J. (2020):
Formalising theories of human decision-making for agent-based modelling of social-ecological systems: practical lessons learned and ways forward
Socio-Environmental Systems Modelling 2 , art. 16340 10.18174/sesmo.2020a16340 - Ziv, G., Beckmann, M., Bullock, J., Cord, A., Delzeit, R., Domingo, C., Dreßler, G., Hagemann, N., Masó, J., Müller, B., Neteler, M., Sapundzhieva, A., Stoev, P., Stenning, J., Trajković, M., Václavík, T. (2020):
BESTMAP: behavioural, Ecological and Socio-economic Tools for Modelling Agricultural Policy
Res. Ideas Outcomes 6 , e52052 10.3897/rio.6.e52052
2019 (2)
- Dressler, G., Groeneveld, J., Buchmann, C.M., Guo, C., Hase, N., Thober, J., Frank, K., Müller, B. (2019):
Implications of behavioral change for the resilience of pastoral systems—Lessons from an agent-based model
Ecol. Complex. 40, Part B , art. 100710 10.1016/j.ecocom.2018.06.002 - Dressler, G., Hoffmann, F., Breuer, I., Kreuer, D., Mahdi, M., Frank, K., Müller, B. (2019):
Polarization in (post)nomadic resource use in Eastern Morocco: insights using a multi-agent simulation model
Reg. Envir. Chang. 19 (2), 489 - 500 10.1007/s10113-018-1412-9
2017 (3)
- Dreßler, G. (2017):
Analyzing resource use decisions under global change by agent-based modeling
Dissertation, Universität Osnabrück
PhD Dissertation 2/2017
Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung - UFZ, Leipzig, 126 pp. - Groeneveld, J., Müller, B., Buchmann, C.M., Dressler, G., Guo, C., Hase, N., Hoffmann, F., John, F., Klassert, C., Lauf, T., Liebelt, V., Nolzen, H., Pannicke, N., Schulze, J., Weise, H., Schwarz, N. (2017):
Theoretical foundations of human decision-making in agent-based land use models – A review
Environ. Modell. Softw. 87 , 39 - 48 10.1016/j.envsoft.2016.10.008 - Schlüter, M., Baeza, A., Dressler, G., Frank, K., Groeneveld, J., Jager, W., Janssen, M.A., McAllister, R.R.J., Müller, B., Orach, K., Schwarz, N., Wijermans, N. (2017):
A framework for mapping and comparing behavioural theories in models of social-ecological systems
Ecol. Econ. 131 , 21 - 35 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2016.08.008
2016 (1)
- Dressler, G., Müller, B., Frank, K., Kuhlicke, C. (2016):
Towards thresholds of disaster management performance under demographic change: exploring functional relationships using agent-based modeling
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci. 16 (10), 2287 - 2301 10.5194/nhess-16-2287-2016
2014 (2)
- Mueller, T., Dressler, G., Tucker, C.J., Pinzon, J.E., Leimgruber, P., Dubayah, R.O., Hurtt, G.C., Böhning-Gaese, K., Fagan, W.F. (2014):
Human land-use practices lead to global long-term increases in photosynthetic capacity
Remote Sens. 6 (6), 5717 - 5731 10.3390/rs6065717 - Müller, B., Balbi, S., Buchmann, C.M., de Sousa, L., Dressler, G., Groeneveld, J., Klassert, C.J., Le, Q.B., Millington, J.D.A., Nolzen, H., Parker, D.C., Polhill, J.G., Schlüter, M., Schulze, J., Schwarz, N., Sun, Z., Taillandier, P., Weise, H. (2014):
Standardised and transparent model descriptions for agent-based models: current status and prospects
Environ. Modell. Softw. 55 , 156 - 163 10.1016/j.envsoft.2014.01.029
2013 (1)
- Müller, B., Bohn, F., Dreßler, G., Groeneveld, J., Klassert, C., Martin, R., Schlüter, M., Schulze, J., Weise, H., Schwarz, N. (2013):
Describing human decisions in agent-based models - ODD+D, an extension of the ODD protocol
Environ. Modell. Softw. 48 , 37 - 48 10.1016/j.envsoft.2013.06.003
2012 (2)
- Dressler, G., Müller, B., Frank, K. (2012):
Mobility – a panacea for pastoralism? An ecological-economic modelling approach
In: Seppelt, R., Voinov, A.A., Lange, S., Bankamp, D. (eds.)
IEMSs 2012 - Managing resources of a limited planet: Pathways and visions under uncertainty. Proceedings of the 6th biannial meeting of the International Environmental Modelling and Software Society, Leipzig, Germany, July 1-5, 2012
p. 2083 - 2090 - Groeneveld, J., Müller, B., Angermüller, F., Drees, R., Dreßler, G., Klassert, C., Schulze, J., Weise, H., Schwarz, N. (2012):
Good modelling practice: Expanding the ODD model description protocol for socioenvironmental agent based models
In: Seppelt, R., Voinov, A.A., Lange, S., Bankamp, D. (eds.)
IEMSs 2012 - Managing resources of a limited planet: Pathways and visions under uncertainty. Proceedings of the 6th biannial meeting of the International Environmental Modelling and Software Society, Leipzig, Germany, July 1-5, 2012
p. 2480 - 2484