Dr. Elsa Maria Cardona Santos
Postdoctoral researcher
Department Conservation Biology
and Social-Ecological Systems
Helmholtz-Zentrum
für Umweltforschung - UFZ
Permoserstr. 15
04318 Leipzig, Germany
elsa.cardona@ufz.de

Education
2013 - 2018 | Doctoral research on the allocation of Payments for Environmental Services at the Institute for Food and Resource Economics, University of Bonn |
2011 - 2013 | Master of Science in Food and Resource Economics, University of Bonn |
2008 - 2011 | Bachelor of Science in Economics, University of Freiburg |
Work experience
since 2022 | Postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Conservation Biology & Social-Ecological Systems, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) |
2020 - 2022 | Project manager at the Department of Biodiversity and Nature Protection, Environmental Action Germany (DUH) |
2013 - 2020 | Research fellow at the Institute for Food and Resource Economics, University of Bonn |
2011 - 2013 | Research assistant, Center for Development Research (ZEF) |
Research Interests
I am interested in ways of integrating the protection of biodiversity and the restoration and conservation of ecosystems and their services in our socio-economic system. My work focuses on the design and implementation of environmental policies, in the assessment of their cost-effectiveness and in their social impact.
Publications
Cardona Santos, E., Storm, H., & Rasch, S. (2021). The cost-effectiveness of conservation auctions in the
presence of asset specificity: An agent-based model. Land Use Policy, 102, 104907.
Cardona Santos, E. (2018): Allocation of Payments for Environmental Services through auctions & the role of
social interaction.
Jack, K. and Cardona Santos, E. (2017): The leakage and livelihood impacts of auctioned vs randomly allocated PES contracts: Evidence from Malawi, Land Use Policy.