Johann Thorsson is a senior research scientist and project manager at the Soil Conservation Service of Iceland, department of Research & Development. He worked at the Agricultural Research Institute in Iceland in 1990-1999, focusing on livestock grazing and feeding as well as land use issues. Johann holds a Ph.D. in Rangeland Ecology from Texas A&M University (2008) and B.Sc. in Biology from the University of Iceland (1990). He is also a core teacher and studies committee member at the UN University Land Restoration Training Programme. His research interests include land degradation processes, land use issues, land management and land condition monitoring. Johann has participated in several national and international research projects ranging from transfer of radionuclides within ecosystems to participatory approaches in land reclamation.