Skip to menu Skip to content Skip to footer
Dr Wilma J. Blaser Hart
Dr

Wilma J. Blaser Hart

Email: 

Overview

Background

How do we feed the world, adapt to and mitigate climate change, and conserve biodiversity? My research addresses these critical questions by quantifying the trade-offs between agricultural production, climate change, and biodiversity in tropical agricultural landscapes. A key focus of my work is agroforestry—the strategic integration of trees into cultivated lands. While agroforests are not a one-size-fits-all solution, my research shows that agroforestry, when informed by a quantitative understanding of these trade-offs, can improve biodiversity and climate outcomes without compromising agricultural productivity.

Through fieldwork and conservation planning, and in collaboration with my wonderful colleagues at the Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science (CBCS), I aim to understand how agricultural landscapes can be optimized across large geographic areas, to best meet conflicting goals and improve biodiversity outcomes. The goal of this work is to improve sustainability outcomes across West Africa, where tropical forests have been rapidly converted in order to produce 60% of the world’s cocoa.

Availability

Dr Wilma J. Blaser Hart is:
Available for supervision

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Environmental Science, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH Zürich
  • Masters (Coursework), Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH Zürich
  • Doctor of Philosophy of Science (Advanced), Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH Zürich

Research interests

  • Agroforestry

  • Cocoa

Works

Search Professor Wilma J. Blaser Hart’s works on UQ eSpace

48 works between 2011 and 2025

1 - 20 of 48 works

Featured

2023

Journal Article

Cocoa plantations are associated with deforestation in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana

Kalischek, Nikolai, Lang, Nico, Renier, Cécile, Daudt, Rodrigo Caye, Addoah, Thomas, Thompson, William, Blaser-Hart, Wilma J., Garrett, Rachael, Schindler, Konrad and Wegner, Jan D. (2023). Cocoa plantations are associated with deforestation in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. Nature Food, 4 (5), 384-393. doi: 10.1038/s43016-023-00751-8

Cocoa plantations are associated with deforestation in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana

Featured

2021

Journal Article

The effectiveness of cocoa agroforests depends on shade-tree canopy height

Blaser-Hart, W. J., Hart, S. P., Oppong, J., Kyereh, D., Yeboah, E. and Six, J. (2021). The effectiveness of cocoa agroforests depends on shade-tree canopy height. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 322 107676, 1-11. doi: 10.1016/j.agee.2021.107676

The effectiveness of cocoa agroforests depends on shade-tree canopy height

Featured

2018

Journal Article

Climate-smart sustainable agriculture in low-to-intermediate shade agroforests

Blaser, W. J., Oppong, J., Hart, S. P., Landolt, J., Yeboah, E. and Six, J. (2018). Climate-smart sustainable agriculture in low-to-intermediate shade agroforests. Nature Sustainability, 1 (5), 234-239. doi: 10.1038/s41893-018-0062-8

Climate-smart sustainable agriculture in low-to-intermediate shade agroforests

2025

Journal Article

Ecosystem changes caused by hydrological change are associated with population decline in a formerly-common grazing herbivore

Blaser-Hart, W. J., Shanungu, G. K., Edwards, P. J., Harms, J., Hart, S. P. H., Ellenbroek, G. A., van Gils, H. A. M. J., Simukonda, C. and Olde Venterink, H. (2025). Ecosystem changes caused by hydrological change are associated with population decline in a formerly-common grazing herbivore. Ecosystems, 28 (1) 14, 1. doi: 10.1007/s10021-024-00951-8

Ecosystem changes caused by hydrological change are associated with population decline in a formerly-common grazing herbivore

2025

Other Outputs

The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Raw drone images GHA 2021 Part C)

Hart, Wilma J. Blaser and Hart, Simon (2025). The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Raw drone images GHA 2021 Part C). The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/3f196df

The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Raw drone images GHA 2021 Part C)

2025

Other Outputs

The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Processed maps GHA 2022 all exports)

Hart, Wilma J. Blaser and Hart, Simon (2025). The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Processed maps GHA 2022 all exports). The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/a2ecf22

The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Processed maps GHA 2022 all exports)

2025

Other Outputs

The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Raw drone images GHA 2021 Part B)

Hart, Wilma J. Blaser and Hart, Simon (2025). The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Raw drone images GHA 2021 Part B). The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/ed7edcd

The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Raw drone images GHA 2021 Part B)

2025

Other Outputs

The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Processed maps GHA 2021 all exports)

Hart, Wilma J. Blaser and Hart, Simon (2025). The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Processed maps GHA 2021 all exports). The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/09565b6

The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Processed maps GHA 2021 all exports)

2025

Other Outputs

The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Raw drone images GHA 2021 Part A)

Hart, Wilma J. Blaser and Hart, Simon (2025). The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Raw drone images GHA 2021 Part A). The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/633959b

The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Raw drone images GHA 2021 Part A)

2025

Other Outputs

The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Raw drone images GHA 2022 High Shade Part A)

Hart, Wilma J. Blaser and Hart, Simon (2025). The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Raw drone images GHA 2022 High Shade Part A). The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/b984bf4

The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Raw drone images GHA 2022 High Shade Part A)

2025

Other Outputs

The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Raw drone images GHA 2021 Part D)

Hart, Wilma J. Blaser and Hart, Simon (2025). The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Raw drone images GHA 2021 Part D). The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/2f89edd

The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Raw drone images GHA 2021 Part D)

2025

Other Outputs

The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Raw drone images GHA 2022 Part D)

Hart, Wilma J. Blaser and Hart, Simon (2025). The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Raw drone images GHA 2022 Part D). The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/8e8eaa1

The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Raw drone images GHA 2022 Part D)

2025

Other Outputs

The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Raw drone images & polygons CIV Guiglo)

Hart, Wilma J. Blaser and Hart, Simon (2025). The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Raw drone images & polygons CIV Guiglo). The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/d45b49f

The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Raw drone images & polygons CIV Guiglo)

2025

Other Outputs

The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Processed maps GHA 2021 point clouds)

Hart, Wilma J. Blaser and Hart, Simon (2025). The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Processed maps GHA 2021 point clouds). The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/53e3189

The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Processed maps GHA 2021 point clouds)

2025

Other Outputs

The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Raw drone images GHA 2021 Part E)

Hart, Wilma J. Blaser and Hart, Simon (2025). The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Raw drone images GHA 2021 Part E). The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/abfae39

The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Raw drone images GHA 2021 Part E)

2025

Other Outputs

The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Raw drone images GHA 2022 Part A)

Hart, Wilma J. Blaser and Hart, Simon (2025). The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Raw drone images GHA 2022 Part A). The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/ee5999e

The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Raw drone images GHA 2022 Part A)

2025

Other Outputs

The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Raw drone images GHA 2021 Part F)

Hart, Wilma J. Blaser and Hart, Simon (2025). The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Raw drone images GHA 2021 Part F). The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/0e1fdd6

The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Raw drone images GHA 2021 Part F)

2025

Other Outputs

The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Processed maps GHA 2022 point clouds)

Hart, Wilma J. Blaser and Hart, Simon (2025). The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Processed maps GHA 2022 point clouds). The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/6a832c4

The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Processed maps GHA 2022 point clouds)

2025

Other Outputs

The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Processed maps GHA 2022 High Shade all exports)

Hart, Wilma J. Blaser and Hart, Simon (2025). The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Processed maps GHA 2022 High Shade all exports). The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/befec92

The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Processed maps GHA 2022 High Shade all exports)

2025

Other Outputs

The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Processed maps CIV 2021 all exports)

Hart, Wilma J. Blaser and Hart, Simon (2025). The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Processed maps CIV 2021 all exports). The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/3442358

The unrealised potential of agroforestry (Processed maps CIV 2021 all exports)

Funding

Current funding

  • 2024 - 2027
    Improving biodiversity outcomes in West African cocoa
    Lindt Cocoa Foundation
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2021 - 2023
    Dr Wilma Hart - Maternity Funding
    Advance Queensland Women's Research Assistance Program
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2024
    Sustainable sourcing policies for biodiversity protection, climate mitigation, and improved livelihoods in the cocoa sector (BiodivERsA grant administered by ETH Zurich)
    ETH Zurich
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2023
    Spatially explicit recommendations for optimal levels of shade-tree cover for sustainable cocoa production
    European Cocoa Association AISBL
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2024
    Methods and a tool for remotely estimating shade-tree cover & carbon stocks, and for developing spatially explicit recommendations for cocoa agroforests
    ETH Zurich
    Open grant

Supervision

Availability

Dr Wilma J. Blaser Hart is:
Available for supervision

Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.

Supervision history

Current supervision

Media

Enquiries

For media enquiries about Dr Wilma J. Blaser Hart's areas of expertise, story ideas and help finding experts, contact our Media team:

communications@uq.edu.au