Ashley Larsen portrait

Professor

Address
Bren Hall 4408
Email
larsen@bren.ucsb.edu
Research Areas
Agricultural Ecology, Landscape Ecology, Conservation Planning
Related Websites
Ashley Larsen's Google Scholar Page
Bren Courses Taught
ESM 201 Ecology of Managed Ecosystems
ESM 270 Conservation Planning and Priority Setting
ESM 270P Conservation Planning Practicum
ESM 595AL PhD Workshop in Food and Land Systems
Instructor Code
32

Education

PhD, Ecology, Evolution & Marine Biology, UC Santa Barbara
MA, Economics, UC Santa Barbara
BS, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan

Bio

Ashley Larsen’s research centers on landscape and agricultural ecology. Within this umbrella, she focuses on how human and natural land uses interact to influence spatial processes from agricultural pests and pesticide dynamics to human-wildlife conflict. Her lab combines ecology, conservation planning, causal inference and geospatial tools, often in collaboration with other natural or social scientists, to generate practical insights into land management decisions and the impacts of agricultural intensification. Her current projects focus on the landscape determinants of ecosystem services and disservices, particularly related to agricultural pests and pesticides, the drivers of human-wildlife conflict, and the ecological drivers and impacts of land use transitions. 

She held a UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship in Environmental Science, Policy & Management at UC Berkeley before joining the Bren School in 2016.

News about Ashley Larsen

Elephants crossing the road in Etosha National Park in Namibia.

Human expansion will fuel more conflict with elephants without careful planning

Human expansion and climate change could double human-elephant conflict in Southern Africa by century’s end, highlighting the need for careful land-use planning and protected wildlife corridors.

Sunlit farm with tall grasses and wind turbines with a blue sky.

Integrated land planning is necessary to meet climate, food and biodiversity goals

UC Santa Barbara professors Grace Wu and Ashley Larsen co-authored a new Nature Communications study showing coordinated multi-sector land planning would impact 15% fewer species and cut carbon loss 19%.

Aerial view of vibrant farmland, showcasing a patchwork of green and yellow fields.

Organic farms can have mixed effects on pesticide use depending on their neighbor

Researchers explored the relationship between organic and conventional farm fields, finding that grouping organic fields together and conventional fields together can eliminate spillover effects that increase pesticide use.

Former farmland transitioning to grassland, highlighting how land-use decisions influence biodiversity and ecosystem recovery.

Protecting nature may depend on where — not just how — we farm


UCSB Bren professor Ashley Larsen reveals how strategic land-use decisions—where farms expand or retreat—can protect biodiversity, improve habitat connectivity, and safeguard carbon under future climate scenarios.

PhD Students in Ashley Larsen's Research Group

James Cunningham

PhD Student

Research Areas:
Ecosystem services, land use, climate change, data science, environmental policy

Cella Schnabel

PhD Student

Research Areas:
Food and water security, remote sensing, climate-induced migration

Postdoctoral Researchers

Evan Patrick

epatrick@ucsb.edu

Bren Hall 4344

Research Areas:
Multidimensional landscapes and spatial planning