Johan Eklof
Johan Eklöf
Johan Eklöf, PhD, is a Swedish bat scientist and writer. He was born in Gothenburg 1973 and now lives in the small town of Ulricehamn in the west of Sweden, together with his wife, son, daughter, and Golden Retriever. In academia Johan is most known for his work on microbat vision and more recently, light pollution connected to bats in churches. Johan works as a conservationist and team-leader at EnviroPlanning – a consultancy company in Gothenburg. He is hired by authorities, wind companies, municipalities, city planners, and environmental organizations as an expert on bats, night ecology, and nature friendly lighting. He also has his own company, working as a part-time writer and lecturer.
Eklöf has studied bats for almost twenty-five years and has spent many summers on the road looking for bats in remote places. In wintertime, while bats are hibernating, Johan spends his time writing books. The first one was published in 2007 and was about early life and the evolution of animals. After that, Johan has worked with small publishing houses, releasing books on bats, myths, and children’s stories. The latest book, The Darkness Manifesto is his second book to be translated into English and the first one to be published by a major publisher. It was originally released in Swedish in 2020 but is still finding new audiences all over the world.