Kristjan Jespersen

What is your area of research?

My research stems from three concerns - climate change, biodiversity loss, and human wellbeing - that intersect in tropical forests. These ecosystems store carbon, support livelihoods, and hold vast biodiversity, yet face destruction from timber, livestock, and agriculture tied to global value chains. I study three protection mechanisms: governance networks, payments for ecosystem services, and certification. Each has strengths and limits, so I rely on evidence over ideology. Recently, I’ve turned to responsible finance, focusing on nature-based portfolios and board governance, linking ecosystems and capital flows for long-term resilience.

Why is it so important?

Tropical forests sit at the heart of today’s biggest challenges. Lose them, and we accelerate climate change, biodiversity collapse, and human hardship. Protect them, and we preserve carbon sinks, safeguard species, and sustain communities. Their fate is tied to global markets, finance, and governance forces too big to ignore. That’s why studying what actually works to protect forests, and how capital and institutions can reinforce those efforts, is so important. It’s not just about trees; it’s about the stability of economies, societies, and the planet we all depend on.

A project you are proud of?

One project I’m proud of is The Paradoxes of Climate-Smart Coffee (PACSMAC) focused on Ethiopia and Tanzania. Arabica coffee faces mounting threats from climate change and disease, pushing farmers to adopt strategies from shade growing to new hybrids. Governments and major firms are also testing support programs, but outcomes hinge on how farmers, companies, and consumers interact. PACSMAC investigates these dynamics by combining fieldwork, surveys, satellite data, and interviews across the value chain, linking local land-use choices with global market strategies to assess whether “climate-smart” coffee is truly resilient and equitable.

Updated December 2025

Through his participation in Policy Fellowship 2025-2026, Kristjan will be working with Peter Fredslund Jensen, Senior Advisor for Sustianability and Public Affairs at PFA Pensions.