Prof. Dr. Klemens Laschefski

Prof. Dr. Klemens Laschefski is Professor of Political Ecology at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) in Brazil and a member of the Environmental Studies Group (GESTA). His work examines land use conflicts, environmental justice, and the political dynamics of territorial governance in Latin America. He holds a master's degree (1992) and a doctorate in Geography (2002, CAPES/DAAD scholarship), both from the University of Heidelberg, Germany. He is currently a full professor specialised in Political Ecology in the Geography Programme at the Institute of Geosciences/Federal University of Minas Gerais (CAPES 6) and a researcher at CNPq (PQ 2024- and PQ, 2020-2023). Previously, he was a permanent professor in the area of Political and Agrarian Geography at the Federal University of Viçosa - UFV. He was a Visiting Researcher/Senior Postdoctoral Fellow at the Forschungszentrum Jülich Research Centre in the Department of Geography at Heidelberg University in Germany (CAPES scholarship, Senior Internship modality, 2017), CNPq Researcher (PQ scholarship, 2013-2016), and Researcher/Visiting Professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (PV scholarship, FAPEMIG, 2007/2008) and at the Federal University of Minas Gerais - UFMG (PV scholarship, CNPq, 2003-2006).
He has experience in research related to Sustainable Development and the Environment, working mainly on the following topics: socio-environmental conflicts surrounding mining, hydroelectric power plants, agrofuels (sugar cane), forest certification in eucalyptus plantations and in the primary forest of the Amazon, Clean Development Mechanism and national and international environmental policies, urbanisation, real estate developments and urban occupations, sanitation and sustainability in rural and urban areas in general.