Ólafur K. Nielsen
Ólafur K. Nielsen (b. 1954) is an Icelandic ornithologist and researcher specializing in Arctic bird ecology. He holds a BSc in Biology from the University of Iceland (1978) and a PhD in Ecology from Cornell University (1986).
Following several years as a freelance researcher (1986–1993), Nielsen joined the Natural Science Institute of Iceland in 1994, where he worked as an ornithologist until 2024. Since 2025, he holds the title of ornithologist emeritus at the same institution.
His research has focused extensively on the ecology and management of the rock ptarmigan, including long-term monitoring, population dynamics, and health. He has also contributed significantly to understanding the predator–prey relationship between rock ptarmigan and gyrfalcon, as well as broader aspects of gyrfalcon ecology.
Title of the talk at IGS 2026: Changes in Rock Ptarmigan Population Dynamics in Northeast Iceland 1981 to 2025
Jørund Rolstad
&
Per Wegge
Jørund Rolstad (b. 1958) is a Norwegian research professor at the Department of Forest Biodiversity at the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research in Ås. He earned his PhD in Wildlife Biology in 1989 from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences.
He has also worked internationally as a Research Fellow and Guest Lecturer at Colorado State University from 1997 to 1999. His research spans several long-term projects, including studies on the ecology and conservation of woodland grouse, biodiversity conservation in managed forest landscapes (MiS), historical forest fire regimes in boreal Fennoscandia, and the ecology and conservation of the northern goshawk.
Per Wegge (b. 1939) is a Norwegian Professor Emeritus at the Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences in Ås. He earned his PhD in Wildlife Biology in 1985 from the University of Montana, USA.
Wegge initiated and led the long-running Varaldskogen Grouse Project from 1979, later joined by Jørund Rolstad. His career includes extensive international research and consultancy work in ecology and wildlife management across Asia, Africa, and Central America. He has supervised more than forty master’s and PhD students and has published over one hundred scientific papers, with particular focus on grouse, large herbivores, elephants, and leopards, including long-term studies in Royal Bardia National Park.
Title of the talk at IGS 2026: Long-term trends in capercaillie and black grouse populations in a changing boreal forest landscape
Andreas Lindén
Andreas Lindén is a Senior Scientist at the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), specializing in animal ecology. He earned his PhD from the University of Helsinki in 2010 and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Oslo from 2010 to 2013. His work focuses on monitoring wildlife populations in Finland, including coordinating national surveys of grouse and game mammals through summer counts and winter snow-track data.
Lindén’s research centers on population dynamics, demography, and habitat use, with particular emphasis on how land use influences ecological systems. He also works extensively with avian migration, movement ecology, and advanced statistical modelling of ecological data. His overarching goal is to provide society with robust, quantitative insights into the status, trends, and drivers of biodiversity. Outside of his scientific work, he is an avid birdwatcher with a passion for travel and the identification and analysis of bird sounds.
Title of the talk at IGS 2026: Wildlife triangles - Monitoring and research of grouse populations in Finland.
Lasse Frost Eriksen
Lasse Frost Eriksen is a researcher with a strong passion for fieldwork in mountain environments. He completed his PhD in Biology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in 2024, where he studied the life history and demography of willow ptarmigan under varying climatic conditions. He also holds an MSc in Applied Ecology from Hedmark University College (2016) and a BSc in Nature Management from Nord-Trøndelag University College (2014).
Prior to his PhD, Eriksen worked as a lecturer in the Nature Management program at Nord University. He is currently a researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) in Trondheim, Norway.
His research focuses on willow ptarmigan and mountain ecosystems, with particular emphasis on small game management, grouse monitoring, and understanding population dynamics in response to environmental change.
Title of the talk at IGS 2026: Life and death in the mountains: A decade of individual-based research on the willow ptarmigan in Central Norway
Tomas Willebrand
Title of the talk at IGS 2026: Willow ptarmigan hunting on state-owned land – before and after reforms 1993/1996
