Dr. Elisabeth Schatzdorfer (neé Pötzelsberger) is a forest scientist, natural resources management expert and ecologist who did her PhD and worked at the Institute of Silviculture at University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, BOKU, Vienna for around 10 years before she joined EFI in 2020 as Head of Resilience Programme based in Bonn, Germany. After a maternity leave in 2023 returned as Principal Scientist.
Dr. Schatzdorfer focuses on potentials and barriers for forest landscape restoration and climate change adaptation in an international context. She works on strategies and forest management options to increase the resilience and functionality of forest landscapes and to protect and restore biodiversity and other essential ecosystem services. Often, a prominent question is the role of tree species selection including opportunities and risks from choosing non-native trees.