Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - WINS

Dr. Ilona Magdalena Otto

Associated Fellow

Ilona M. Otto is a senior researcher at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK).  She also holds the EarthDoc position within the Earth League Network and she is a member of the COPAN - Co-evolutionary Pathways Research Group at PIK. In her work Ilona analyses social-ecological systems, especially in the context of multi-level governance of natural resources, adaptation to climate change, and sustainability transformation. She is interested in combining various data bases, research methods, and stakeholders' knowledge in investigating problems related to global environment changes, development, adaptation and sustainability. Dr. Otto holds PhD in resource economics and M.Sc. in sociology. She has just finalized her Habilitation (German higher education post-doctoral qualifications) at the Humboldt University in Berlin, Faculty of Life Sciences.

Selected Publications

  • Otto, I.M., Reckien, D., Reyer, C.P.O., Marcus, R., Le Masson, V., Jones, L., Norton, A., Serdeczny, O. (2017). Social vulnerability to climate change: A review of concepts and evidence. Regional Environmental Change.
  • Schellnhuber, H. J., Serdeczny, O. M., Adams, S., Köhler, C., Otto, I. M., Schleussner, C. F. (2016). The Challenge of a 4 °C World by 2100. In Brauch, H.G., Oswald Spring, U., Grin, J., Scheffran, J. (Eds.): Handbook on Sustainability Transition and Sustainable Peace. Springer International Publishing Switzerland.
  • Otto, I.M., Biewald, A., Coumou, D., Feulner, G., Köhler, C., Nocke, T., Blok, A., Gröber, A., Selchow, S., Tyfield, D., Volkmer, I., Schellnhuber, H.J., Beck, U. (2015). Socio-economic data for global environmental change research. Nature Climate Change: 5: 503-506.
  • Otto, I.M., Wechsung, F. (2014). The effects of rules and communication in a behavioral irrigation experiment carried out in North China. Ecological Economics, 99: 10-20.
  • Wang, X, Otto, I.M., Yu, L., (2013). How Physical and Social Factors Affect Village-Level Irrigation: An Institutional Analysis of Water Governance in Northern China. Agricultural Water Management, 119: 10-18.
  • Cornell, S., Berkhout, F., Tuinstra, W., Tabara, J.D., Jäger, J., Chabay, I., de Wit, B., Langlais, R., Mills, D., Moll, P., Otto, I.M., Petersen, A., Pohl, C., van Kerkhoff, L. (2013). Opening up knowledge systems for better responses to global environmental change. Environmental Science and Policy, 28: 60-70.
  • Otto, I.M., Chobotova, V. (2013). Opportunities and Constraints of Adopting Market Governance in Protected Areas in Central and Eastern Europe. International Journal of the Commons, 7(1): 34-56.
  • Otto, I.M., Shkaruba, A., Kireyeu, (2011). V., The Rise of Multi-Level Governance for Biodiversity Protection in Belarus, Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy, 29(1): 113 – 132.

Full list of publications

Personal webpage