Oliver Hölzinger

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
Doctoral Researcher

Contact details

Telephone: +44 (0)121 692 1717
Email: oliver.hoelzinger@t-online.de

Address: School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Title of PhD: The Implementation of Ecosystem Services Values into Policy Tools and Decision-Making Processes

Supervisors: Professor Jon Sadler and Dr Dan van der Horst

The main aim of Oliver’s interdisciplinary research is to identify how the value of ecosystems and ecosystem services can be better acknowledged and integrated in governmental and corporate decision-making processes as well as corresponding policy instruments.

He evaluates which barriers exist keeping decision-makers from implementing the value of ecosystem services into their everyday decisions and which actions and tools can mitigate such barriers. He is also interested in the incentive- and power-structures of decision-makers and other actors being involved in environmental policy.

Oliver is a part-time PhD researcher. Besides his research at the University of Birmingham he works as freelance consultant for environmental economics and policy. His work and research are closely related and he acts as intermediate in the interface between academia, politics, and economy.

Qualifications

Diploma Economist (similar to Masters of Economic Science) 2004-2009, Institute for Economics and Law, University of Oldenburg, Germany

Biography

Oliver holds a diploma in economics from the University of Oldenburg, Germany. His studies were focussed on sustainability economics and management. Whilst studying, Oliver gained a special interest in the political dimension of environmental-economic problems; particularly why governmental institutions so often fail to inhibit or mitigate market failures. His diploma thesis was ‘die institutionenökonomische Analyse des Politikversagens beim Klimaschutz’ (the institutional-economic analysis of the political failure in climate protection).

Oliver gained his first professional experience as scientific intern with Green Budget Germany, undertaking a study about externalities and subsidies in the German coal industry, commissioned by Greenpeace Germany. In 2010 he entered the United Kingdom and started working as freelance consultant (Consultancy for Environmental Economics & Policy).

He values ecosystem services and develops strategies and tools to better implement such values into decision-making processes. Clients include different Wildlife Trusts, Local Authorities, County Councils, Birmingham City University, and the UK Business Council for Sustainable Development (UK BCSD).

He is member of the Ecosystem Services Partnership (ESP), Valuing Nature Network (VNN), the Natural Capital Initiative (NCI), and the UK Business Council for Sustainable Development (BCSD-UK) Corporate Ecosystem Valuation (CEV) task force.

Research

Research interests

Ecosystem services, ecosystem valuation, institutional ecological economics, environmental decision-making

Other activities

Oliver is member of the Valuing Nature Network (VNN), the Natural Capital Initiative (NCI), the UK Business Council for Sustainable Development (BCSD-UK) Corporate Ecosystem Valuation (CEV) task force, and the Ecosystems Knowledge Network (EKN).

Publications

Peer-Reviewed Papers

Hölzinger, O., Horst, D. van der, Sadler, J., 2014. City-wide Ecosystem Assessments - Lessons from Birmingham. Ecosystem Services. doi:10.1016/j.ecoser.2014.05.003

Books and Reports

Scott, A., Carter, C., Hölzinger, O., Everard, M., Rafaelli, D., Hardman, M., Baker, J., Glass, J., Leach, K., Wakeford, R., Reed, M., Grace, M., Sunderland, T., Waters, R., Corstanje, R., Glass, R., Grayson, N., Harris, J., & Taft, A., 2014. UK National Ecosystem Assessment Follow-on. Work Package Report 10: Tools – Applications, Benefits and Linkages for Ecosystem Science (TABLES). UNEP-WCMC, LWEC, UK.

Hölzinger, O., 2011. Economic Valuation in Practice: The Green Infrastructure in Birmingham and the Black Country. In Young, C, Besenyei, L., Hooper, I. and Moreton-Jones, K. (eds) (2011) Landscape ecology and ecosystem services. Proceedings of the 18th Annual Conference of ialeUK. Wolverhampton: ialeUK, pp. 210–213.

Hölzinger, O., 2010. Institutionenökonomische Analyse des Politikversagens beim Klimaschutz: Warum dem Marktversagen “Klimawandel” ein massives Politikversagen “Klimaschutz” entgegensteht. VDM Verlag Dr. Müller.

Grey Literature

Hölzinger, O., Carvalho, S., Atkinson, S., Slater, A., 2013. Birmingham & Black Country Nature Improvement Area Evaluation Report: Baseline & 2012/2013. Birmingham and The Black Country Wildlife Trust, Birmingham. Available at: http://ceep-online.co.uk/index.php/projects-a-publications/82-birmingham-a-black-country-nia-monitoring-a-evaluation

Hölzinger, O., Tringham, N., Grayson, N., Coles, R., 2013. Multiple Challenge Map for Birmingham - Ecosystem Services Supply and Demand Maps. Birmingham City Council, Birmingham. Available at: http://ceep-online.co.uk/index.php/projects-a-publications/81-mapping-supply-and-demand-of-multifunctional-green-infrastructure-and-ecosystem-services-in-birmingham

Hölzinger, O., Grayson, N., Christie, M., Coles, R., 2013. Ecosystem Services Evaluation for Birmingham’s Green Infrastructure. Birmingham City Council, Birmingham. Available at:http://ceep-online.co.uk/index.php/projects-a-publications/92-ceep/projects/76-ecosystem-services-evaluation-for-birmingham

Hölzinger, O., 2012. The Economic Evaluation of Moseley Bog & Joy’s Wood LNR, Birmingham & Black Country Wildlife Trust, Birmingham. Available at: http://ceep-online.co.uk/index.php/projects-a-publications/80-the-economic-evaluation-of-moseley-bog-a-joys-wood-lnr.

Hölzinger, O. & Morris, J., 2011. The Economic Evaluation of Moorcroft Wood LNR and the Influence of the Black Country Living Landscape Community Involvement Programme, Birmingham & Black Country Wildlife Trust, Birmingham. Available at: http://ceep-online.co.uk/index.php/projects-a-publications/78-the-economic-evaluation-of-moorcroft-wood-lnr-and-the-influence-of-the-black-country-living-landscape-community-involvement-programme.

Hölzinger, O. & Dench, D., 2011. The Economic Value of Gwen Finch Wetland Reserve, Worcestershire Wildlife Trust, Worcester. Available at: http://ceep-online.co.uk/index.php/projects-a-publications/77-the-economic-evaluation-of-gwen-finch-wetland-reserve.

Hölzinger, O., 2011. The Value of Green Infrastructure in Birmingham and the Black Country - The Total Economic Value of Ecosystem Services provided by the Urban Green Infrastructure, Birmingham & Black Country Wildlife Trust, Birmingham. Available at: http://ceep-online.co.uk/index.php/projects-a-publications/75-the-value-of-green-infrastructure-in-birmingham-and-the-black-country.

Meyer, B., Küchler, S. & Hölzinger, O., 2010. Staatliche Förderungen der Stein- und Braunkohle im Zeitraum 1950 - 2008, Berlin: Green Budget Germany. Available at: http://www.greenpeace.de/fileadmin/gpd/user_upload/themen/energie/Kohlesubventionen_1950-2008.pdf.