Category Archives: Netherlands

Monocultures

Our EcoFracNet biodiversity monitoring project is gathering momentum. Over the past months, we’ve been roaming the Netherlands, clipboards in hand, from endless heathlands to city parks, to record plant diversity in hundreds of 1 m² plots. With several hundred plots … Continue reading

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Boots in the bog

Far in the north of the Netherlands, on the border of Friesland and Drenthe, lies an endless sea of moor-grass, heather, and rushes – spread out across one of the last active raised bogs in the country: the Fochteloerveen. A … Continue reading

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EcoFracNet at the farm

Our EcoFracNet project aims to uncover patterns of biodiversity across all kinds of landscapes — including those where biodiversity isn’t necessary a priority, like agricultural areas. Even these landscapes can host a surprising variety of life: along field edges, in … Continue reading

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An army of scientists

This year, I had the joy (and challenge) of teaching Ecology to first-year biology students at Utrecht University for the very first time. Nearly 400 students, fresh into their academic journey, dipping their toes into the fascinating, complex, and urgently … Continue reading

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Fostering growth in The 3D Lab: insights from our interactive sessions

The 3D Lab is a dynamic team of young scientists, brought together by their shared enthusiasm for exploring scientific topics under my guidance. Currently, the team comprises one postdoc, one PhD student, and several master and bachelor students. For many, … Continue reading

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Fieldwork time!

It’s fieldwork time again! We have started to enjoy some cold, grey and dark days in the Dutch mud the last weeks, for our new project on the scale at which biodiversity varies (more on that here). Fieldwork in December, … Continue reading

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