I am a professor of conservation biology, especially focusing on nature management, insect ecology and forest biodiversity.

I am an advocate for nature's anonymous species diversity, such as insects and fungi - species we rarely see and do not think about, but which are nevertheless crucially important for processes in nature and thus for us humans.

I have written six books about insects and nature. The books have been translated into more than 25 languages and are sold in bookstores all over the world.

About me

• Research

  I work as a professor at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) in Ås. I also hold an Honorary Doctorate at the Swedish Agricultural University (SLU).

  My research is focus around species diversity, nature management, forests and the biodiversity crisis, including how we affect the forest's species diversity and thus also the ecosystem services.

  In particular I am interested in the ecological role of insects in trees and forests, and the interactions between insects and other organisms. I work both with boreal and temperate forest, spanning from old-growth taiga to remaining legacy trees in urban landscapes.

  You can find a list of all my publications here (Cristin)

• Dissemination

  I love to convey knowledge about nature - both about the wonderful life and ecological role of insects, and about biodiversity and natural resources more generally. I am active in the media, give talks and have written six non-fiction books, translated into more than 25 different languages.

  "Extraordinary Insects" was was on the Sunday Times' bestseller list and was named one of the ten most important books on science by the Smithsonian in the USA, and "Tapestries of Life" was nominated for the Norwegian Literary Critics' Prize.
  
  I have also received a number of awards for outreach work, including the Research Council of Norway's science dissemination award (2020).
  

  See also my author page at Stilton Literary Agency 
• Contact

  My email for booking: henvendelser-ast@nmbu.no
  For other issues: anne.sverdrup-thygeson@nmbu.no

Books in English

• Tapestries of Life (2020)

  

  Uncovering the Lifesaving Secrets of the Natural World

  
  Fascinating tales of our interactions with nature, from the author of Sunday Times bestseller, Extraordinary Insects.
  Millions of species give us food, medicine and a habitable environment.

  In characteristically engaging prose, Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson takes us out into the rainforests, where orchid bees make perfume and pollinate the nuts you crack at Christmas; beneath the cool shade of great trees on city streets that reduce the need for air-cooling systems. We read about trees in ancient woodland that provide us with cancer medicines and the kingfisher that inspired the design of bullet trains.

  But we also discover how our behaviour can place all this in jeopardy, because our capacity to exploit nature also risks undermining the basis for our very existence.

  What we are seeing today is a biodiversity crisis in which species are threatened and habitats vanishing – a situation just as acute and serious as the climate crisis.

• Extraordinary Insects / Terra Insecta (2018)

  

  The little ones that make the world go ‘round

  Insects are everywhere. They live at high altitudes, in the deepest caves, in baptismal fonts, inside computers and in a walrus’s nostrils.

  Insects have a completely different make up than us humans. They can have ears on their knees, eyes on their penises and tongues under their feet.

  For every person on Earth there are 200 million insects. Yet their numbers are dwindling. Most of us think life would be better without bugs. In fact, life would be impossible without them. They are the little things that make the world go ‘round.

Books in Norwegian

• "Skogen" (ENG: "Forests", 2023)

  Age group: Adults

  

  In "Skogen", the story stretches through time and space, from a great-great-grandfather's flora to the present, and from an insect's tiny life under a piece of bark to the mile-wide forest landscapes.

  Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson offers entertaining knowledge about the forest, about the intricate interaction of the forest species and about the importance of the forest for our history and culture.

• "Insekter i Norge" (ENG: "Insects in Norway", 2021)

  Age group: Adults

  

  Norway has more than 19 000 insect species and this book gives an introduction to them. It countains an overview of all the 23 orders of insects, and the most important families.

  For each group the number of species, physical description, habitat, status and ecological significance is covered.
• "På naturens skuldre" (ENG: "Tapestries of Life", 2020)

  Age group: Adults

  

  Uncovering the Lifesaving Secrets of the Natural World (see more info above).
• "Dovendyret og sommerfuglen" (ENG; "The Sloth and the Sloth Moth", 2020)

  Age: Children 3-6 years

  

  This book is aimed at kids 3 to 6 years old. It tells the amazing story of the sloth and the moth that lives in the sloth’s fur – and how the two depend on each other.

  Full page color illustrations by Bård Sletvold Torkildsen. 

• "Insektenes hemmeligheter" (ENG: "Beetles, bugs, and butterflies", 2019)

  Age: Children 6-12 years

  

  Beetles, Bugs and Butterflies is aimed at the younger readers, 6-9 (9-12) years. Kids have a natural curiosity when it comes to small critters, and I want to stimulate this interest. 

  The book covers cool and common insects we find all around us. Through facts, fun-facts and colorful illustrations by Nina Marie Andersen at @fabelillustrasjon, the intention is to educate in a fun way.
• "Insektenes planet" (2018) (ENG: "Terra Insecta")

  Age: Adults

  

  The little ones that make the world go ‘round
  (see more info above).

TEDx talk

• See my TEDx-talk here

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