Droevendaalsesteeg 10
6708 PB Wageningen
The Netherlands
Social
About
We should rethink the role of water in our landscapes and use nature-based solutions to develop climate-robust and biodiverse landscapes.
Biography
I combine the fundamental science at NIOO-KNAW with the Applied Sciences at HAS University of Applied Scienes in the field of climate-robust landscapes. With ongoing climate change the periods with low rainfall increase, this has influence on the land use in sandy soil area's. Biodiversity and water quality deteriorates and agriculture has yield losses. Therefore, I suggest that we should rethink the role of water in our systems and work on nature-based solutions for this problem. By doing so we can transform the landscape into a climate-robust landscape with co-benifits for biodiversity and water quality. I like to work on questions like: how does a future, climate-robust landscape look like? Where are opportunities and bottlenecks for land users in these landscapes? How can agriculture, biodiversity and water quality co-benefit in these landscapes?
Research groups
Research Expertise
Agro-ecosystems Climate adaptation Community ecology Land use changes Landscape ecologyPublications
Popular-scientific publications
Versnelling van het Aanvalsplan Landschap
Sinds de jaren 50 heeft in de landbouw een aanzienlijke schaalvergroting plaatsgevonden. De veerkracht en de herkenbaarheid van agrarische landschappen zijn daardoor sterk afgenomen. Ook hebben de schaalvergroting en de daarmee gepaard gaande intensivering een negatieve impact gehad op de biodiversiteit, de bodem en het water. Veel groenblauwe structuren zoals poelen en houtige landschapselementen zijn verdwenen. Hoe brengen we die met het Aanvalsplan Landschap versneld terug?Waterlandbouw
Waterlandbouw biedt vele kansen en mogelijkheden, zo kunt u lezen in dit biocahier. We kunnen er meer monden mee voeden, we kunnen er de uitstoot van broeikasgassen mee verminderen en de bodemdaling in veengebieden. We kunnen er het water langer mee vasthouden zodat het beschikbaar is in droge zomers. We kunnen er in principe de overbevissing mee tegengaan en de zeebodems beschermen. En we kunnen er producten mee vervangen die minder duurzaam zijn. Algen bieden bijvoorbeeld een alternatief voor palmolie, soja en kerosine en van veenmos kun je potgrond maken waardoor de fossiele veengronden in Scandinavië en de Baltische staten niet langer meer afgegraven hoeven te worden.
Maar voorzichtigheid is ook geboden. Hoe voorkomen we dat we niet in dezelfde problemen terechtkomen als de traditionele landbouw, als dat niet al is gebeurd? En kunnen de windparken wellicht functioneren als extensieve zeeboerderijen waarbij waterboeren samenwerken met de natuur? Ook daarover gaat dit biocahier. Na lezing bent u helemaal bij en kijkt u anders naar die zeewierburger, gamba of vis op uw bord of die zak potgrond uit de supermarkt.
Projects & collaborations
Projects
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Climate robust landscapes for improved biodiversity and water quality
This project is part of the lectorate with the University of Applied Sciences in Den Bosch
Outreach
Categories
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Featured in
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Impact of nutrients
Nutrient availability in natural ecosystems has increased due to anthropogenic activities like spill-over from agricultural ecosystems. In the Netherlands, this has led to the acidification of natural areas for example. At NIOO, we aim to understand the impact of nutrients on natural systems in more detail, to help to bring back the balance.
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Book presentation on Water farming
On Friday afternoon 29 September, a new book about Water farming will be presented at NIOO. NIOO scientists Ellen Weerman and Ellen van Donk are two of the editors, and you are very welcome to join. The presentation will be in Dutch.
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Inaugural lecture by Dr. Ellen Weerman
On 2 February 2023, Dr. Ellen Weerman will give her inaugural lecture as lecturer on 'climate robust' landscapes at NIOO and HAS Green Academy. The title of the lecture is 'Climate-robust landscapes: how to bring resilience back into the landscape'.
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NIOO Theme Sustainable use of land and water
Healthy surface water and soils are essential for life on earth. They provide a range of life-supporting functions, including carbon storage, oxygen generation, and nutrient cycling. At NIOO, we combine research on the ecosystem services provided to society with research on how these ecosystem services are impacted by society.
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New lectureship on 'climate-robust' landscapes connects nature and agriculture
A new research group set up by NIOO and HAS University of Applied Sciences is asking how alternative forms of agriculture can improve water quality and biodiversity.
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Sustainable use of land & water
Healthy surface water and soils are essential for life on earth, providing diverse life-support functions. How are these ecosystem services affected by human activity, and how can we change this?
