Henni Ylänne

I am an arctic ecosystem ecologist with a PhD from the University of Oulu from 2017. Currently, I serve as the Academic coordinator for the Centre of Excellence in Peatlands, Climate Change and Ecological Restoration (PeatResC, 2026-2033). I am also a member of the Sami Climate Council, an independent expert body appointed by the Finnish government (2023-2027) with the task to ensure that Sámi perspectives become heard in local, national and regional decision-making. In particular, I am interested in how traditional livelihoods, such as reindeer herding, may thrive and adapt amidst the ongoing climatic and land use changes.

My key research interests delve around Arctic ecosystem processes, particularly the controls behind carbon sequestration – and how these are shaped by the semi-domesticated reindeer. I am interested in the coupling between above- and belowground processes, feedback loops and the consequences of ongoing and expected changes for ecosystems’ grazing capacity and livelihoods depending on grazers. My field-based studies have covered several northern ecosystems: tundra heaths and meadows, mountain birch forests and their transition zone with tundra as well as northern and subarctic peatlands. I am also interested in conceptualizing the role of grazers within Finland and the wider Arctic.

During my scientific career, I have also developed a passion for statistics that led me to various ongoing collaborations with several of those assessing peatland processes and their responses to climate change and ecological restoration.