Many farmers love nature. They enjoy wildlife when working on their land, they care for the soil and their animals, and they know that they work with and depend on nature. Stewardship is an important value to them. Time and again I find this in my research. Farmers hold the key to restoration of biodiversity […]
Europe should support farmers to welcome biodiversity Lire la suite »
As a scientist who studies atmospheric composition, climate change, and the impact of agricultural practices on nature areas, it is sometimes difficult to take action in response to the alarming signals we see in our research. If I stop visiting trans-continental conferences, does that make a real difference? Should I switch to a vegan diet?
It is only recently that I fully grasped the increasing importance of forests and timber for the European economy: from the wooden furniture in our homes to innovations like wood-based constructions and feedstocks for the bio-economy. Since wood can be a renewable alternative to several conventional materials, the European forestry sector expects an increased demand
Bringing nature back into production forests Lire la suite »
As an ecologist who works at an institute where ecosystem monitoring with Remote Sensing is a key activity, I know nature is variable and can have many faces. It varies over seasons and it varies over years. Some years are drier, other years are wetter. So we know that, to really look at changes in
Savannas in Eastern Netherlands Lire la suite »
We desperately need perspectives for (social, ecologic, economic, climate) robust agricultural practices that contribute to a healthier planet for future generations. Most modern agricultural practices are vulnerable to climate change effects. Biodiversity loss and limited genetic crop diversity in our staple foods appear to be underestimated food security and health risks. There is an urge
Food forests for robust agricultural practices Lire la suite »
As a young ecologist, I aimed to contribute to understanding the effects of biodiversity loss on ecosystem functioning by exploring an often-overlooked realm: underground ecosystems. My journey led me to the prestigious Jena Experiment, a large-scale, long-term grassland biodiversity study in Germany where effects of plant species richness on ecosystem functioning are studied. This opportunity
To bee (or not to be) Lire la suite »
Heischraal grasland is een combinatie is van heide en grasland. Hierin komen veel zeldzame planten en insecten voor, zoals Valkruid (Arnica montana), Kleine schorseneer (Scorzonera humilis) en de Kommavlinder (Hesperia comma). Maar heischraal grasland is ernstig bedreigd. Door de stikstofdepositie verzuurt de bodem en verdwijnen de zeldzame soorten. Heischraal grasland is een zogenaamd ‘prioritair habitattype’.
Heischraal Grassland Staat à Omvallen Lire la suite »
Spring, to us, always indicates the start of a new sampling campaign to the Store Mosse National Park, the largest expanse of peatlands in Southern Sweden. Over a decade we run a plant ecological experiment in this fantastic peatland complex. The Store Mosse NP with its beauty and variety in ecosystems also illustrates what we
Peatlands: our natural allies in the fight against climate change Lire la suite »
