Lilla Lovász | Research interests

- Ecosystem science and conservation
- Large herbivore movement ecology
- Equine and bovine behavioral ecology
- Socio-politics of equid history

Research project

I'm studying the effects of horse and cattle grazing in a recently restored nature conservation area, the Ile du Rhin in the Petite Camargue Alsacienne. Such large herbivores are capable of contributing to the regulation of the succession in meadow habitats, while creating and maintaining diverse habitats and therefore enhancing biodiversity.

I'm interested in how the space use of horses and cattle is related to different habitat characteristics and to the behavior of the other horses or cattle. I'm also investigating the correlations between grazer space use patterns, the density of different bird species, and the changes in the abundance and distribution of certain plant species.

My work includes a great deal of science communication and creating a bridge between practical nature conservation and research – as a former journalist, I find it important to inform the public about the processes of nature conservation and involve conservation managers in scientific discussions.

Acknowledgements

My project is funded by the Fondation de bienfaisance Jeanne Lovioz, the Frey-Clavel-Stiftung, the Swiss Association Pro Petite Camargue Alsacienne, the Ornithologische Gesellschaft Basel, the Stiftung Emilia Guggenheim-Schnurr and the Wolfermann-Nägeli-Stiftung. Many thanks!

Education and professional experience

2022–ongoingPostdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Environmental Sciences, Zoology
2017–2022PhD student at the Department of Environmental Sciences, Zoology
2015–
2017
MSc in zoology, University of Basel, Department of Environmental Sciences, Zoology; thesis on «Possible predictors of adult sex ratios in birds»
2012–
2015
BSc in biology, University of West Hungary (Szombathely, Hungary); thesis on «Pair formation strategy and population dynamics of the Bearded Reedling»
2006–
2015
Fejér Megyei Hírlap (daily newspaper) – online- and technical editor, journalist, photoreporter
2005–
2006
Aviator Magazin – corresponding editor, journalist
2003–
2005
Aero Magazin – corresponding journalist, column editor
2001–2005Diploma in english and communication, Kodolányi János University-College (Székesfehérvár, Hungary) and Södertörns Högskola (Stockholm, Sweden)

Publications

Lovász L, Korner-Nievergelt F, Amrhein V (2024) Natural grazing by horses and cattle promotes bird diversity in a restored European alluvial grassland. PeerJ 12: e17777. PDF https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.17777

Lovász L (2022) Nature conservation with large herbivores in a restored riparian environment. PhD thesis, Universität Basel. link to PDF

Lovász L, Fages A, Amrhein V (2021) Konik, Tarpan, European wild horse: An origin story with conservation implications. Global Ecology and Conservation 32: e01911. PDF https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01911

Lovász L, Korner-Nievergelt F, Amrhein V (2021) Grazer density and songbird counts in a restored conservation area. PeerJ 9: e10657. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.10657

Gewin V (2020) Where I work: The zoologist tracking an island's rebirth (interview with Lovász L). Nature 588: 530. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-03522-8

Lovász L (2018) The hitchhiker's guide to the anthropocene – controversies and paradoxes about nature conservation in Europe. sci five blog, University of Basel.

Lovász L, Roth T, Karcza Z, Lukács KO, Gyurácz J, Amrhein V (2018) Survival, dispersal, and capture probability of male and female birds. PeerJ Preprints 6: e27090v2. https://doi.org/10.7287/peerj.preprints.27090v2

Orbán L, Lovász L, Lukács Z, Gyurácz J (2018) Age-, sex-, and size-related spatial distribution in the common blackbird. North-Western Journal of Zoology 15: 84-90.

Lovász L, Fenyvesi L, Gyurácz J (2017) Contribution to the study of pair formation strategy of the Bearded Reedling (Panurus biarmicus). North-Western Journal of Zoology 13: 297-302.

Awards

(2019) Poster prize (best poster) at the 12th Conference of the European Ornithologists Union (Cluj-Napoca, Romania): On wings and hoofs. Correlations between herbivore density and bird density in an alluvial environment. Poster PDF

(2017) Poster prize (best poster) at the 11th Conference of the European Ornithologists Union (Turku, Finland): Possible predictors of adult sex ratios in birds. Poster PDF

Lilla_Lovász

Dr. Lilla Lovász

Department of Environmental Sciences, Zoology
University of Basel
Vesalgasse 1
4051 Basel
Switzerland

Research Station Petite Camargue Alsacienne
Rue de la Pisciculture
68300 Saint-Louis
France