Jens-Kjeld Jensen, author – Faroe Islands

Jens-Kjeld Jensen has been nominated for the Nordic Council Environment Prize 2020.

If we are to act to protect biodiversity, we must first identify what we need to protect. Chef Jens-Kjeld Jensen has a deep love of nature and has been writing about the changing state of it for over 40 years. With five books and over 500 articles about biodiversity in the Faroe Islands to his name, of which more than 200 are scientific and popular science pieces, it would be a bit unfair to describe his work as a hobby – although he does so himself. In addition to his writing, Jensen is active in the field, and his collection of Faroese mice has informed research in both Germany and the UK.

Jensen’s studies of biodiversity place great emphasis on new and invasive plants and animals, and he has helped to identify over 350 new species in the Faroe Islands. With over 25,000 visitors a month, Jensen reaches a wide audience via his website on biodiversity in the islands.