Elsevier designates Daniel Kissling as the most productive biodiversity researcher in the Netherlands
On the occasion of the International Day of Biodiversity 2023, the scientific publisher Elsevier published a report this week that takes an in-depth look at Dutch biodiversity research compared to that of other countries worldwide. Daniel Kissling leads the list of 12 most productive biodiversity researchers in the Netherlands.
Nelleke Buitendijk on Radio 1 about her PhD research on grazing geese
For her PhD project, Nelleke Buitendijk investigated the impact of grazing by geese on agriculture, and how to deal with the interests of farmers versus those of nature when it comes to these animals. She talked about this in the program dr. Kelder & Co on NPO Radio 1.
Various media reports on wind energy curtailment over the North Sea for the conservation of migratory birds
Researchers at IBED are developing methods to quantify and predict bird migration in collaboration with different stakeholders. A predictive model developed by Maja Bradarić, together with Bart Kranstauber, Willem Bouten and Judy Shamoun-Baranes during her PhD, is now part of protocol for wind energy curtailment over the North Sea developed by Rijkswaterstaat for the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy. The protocol was tested for the first time at two offshore windparks near Borselle and Egmond aan Zee on 13 May 2023. The research is part of the Open Technology Programme, project Interactions between birds and offshore wind farms: drivers, consequences and tools for mitigation (project number 17083), which is financed by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) Domain Applied and Engineering Sciences, in collaboration with the following public and private partners: Rijkswaterstaat and Gemini wind park
Various media reports on the decrease in nitrogen deposition in dunes, leading to less grass growth
The deposition of nitrogen in the dunes has decreased considerably since the early 1990s. This has led to less high and less dense grass mats in the dune landscape. Good news, because the soil now receives more sunlight, which offers opportunities for the dune pansy, the dune heron's bill and other species that belong in the Dutch dunes. However, species richness has not yet been restored. This has emerged from new research by Annemieke Kooijman in collaboration with Waternet Amsterdam.
Emily Burdfield-Steel about 'smart bird houses' that register what bird youngsters eat
Bird boxes with smart cameras help biologists determine what bird parents feed their young. The NOS has a news item about this. They spoke to Emily Burdfield-Steel, who uses this technology to investigate, among other things, whether birds in the city have a different diet than birds in the forest.
Windmills silent for birds
The windmills in Borssele and Egmond aan Zee were temporarily shut down on Saturday. A test to help migratory birds safely across the North Sea. IBED researcher Maja Bradarić explains this further.
Evy van Berlo in NRC about her research on bonobos
Daily newspaper "NRC" has an interview with Evy van Berlo (IBED) about her research into the behavior of bonobos. For her PhD research at Leiden University, she conducted years of research with these great apes and with human visitors in the Apenheul.
Various media reports about the blue-green algae project of IBED in the Delftse Hout lake
Between 1 May and 1 October, biologists from IBED, together with colleagues from NIOO-KNAW, are conducting research into blue-green algae in the large lake in Delftse Hout. The aim of the research is to gain more insight into blue-green algae and the toxins they produce. The local newspapers of the AD group, among others, reported on this, as did the program Early Birds, and De Telegraaf also published a (very concise) report
Scientific research into microfibers is not possible without citizens
Washing clothes may be cool for us, but not so nice for the surface water. Every wash of synthetic clothing releases plastic microfibers that are bad for the environment. At the University of Amsterdam, an entire team has conducted research into this with the help of so-called 'citizen scientists'. In the lab you can't really imitate washings that we all do every day. Bernou Boven is one of the researchers.
Migration distances of lesser black-backed gulls do not influence their success
'Look, there's F.AXF. In any case, it's back!" When gull researcher Roos Kentie walks into 'her' gull colony on Texel for the first time this year, she almost automatically looks for familiar birds. At first glance, she cannot easily tell the different herring gulls and lesser black-backed gulls apart, but thanks to the colored rings with letter codes, which a few dozen of the many hundreds of birds wear on one of the legs, some gulls do become 'old acquaintances'.
Annemarie van Wezel in the Nederlands Dagblad about PFAS in our everyday products
The Nederlands Dagblad has an article about the health effects of PFAS and how you can avoid coming into contact with these chemical compounds. They are present in many everyday products, from shower gel and make-up to frying pans and certain foods. One of the experts speaking is Annemarie van Wezel.
Toilet paper is an unexpected source of PFAS in sewage
American researchers have found an unexpected source of PFAS in sewage: toilet paper. These harmful substances in our sewage water eventually end up in the surface water again, with adverse effects for ecosystems and humans. Such research is also being carried out by, among others, Skylar Xie and Ioanna Gkika in the research group of ecotoxicologist Michiel Kraak . All three agree that the results of the American study mainly confirm what we already knew: PFAS are everywhere, including in household products
Franciska de Vries in NRC about the reliability of Agrifacts
Daily newspaper NRC has a critical article about the organization Agrifacts, supplier of information about the agricultural sector to political party BBB, among others. Although the organization claims to be independent, it is funded by interest groups. Franciska de Vries speaks, among others, and criticizes the statements made by Agrifacts regarding nitrogen
Piet Verdonschot in Trouw about the crisis in water quality
The stagnation of water quality in the Netherlands could lead to a crisis that is ten times greater than the current nitrogen crisis. That is what Professor Piet Verdonschot says in the run-up to the water board elections.
Karline Janmaat in AD about her research into chimpanzees
In the serie "Eureka" (daily newspaper AD), Karline Janmaat talks about her eureka moment
Piet Verdonschot on Radio 1 about the water board elections
The elections for the Regional Public Water Authorities are in two weeks. But shouldn't we abolish them? Piet Verdonschot, special professor of ecological water management at IBED, talks about this in the radio program “Dit is de Dag”
Annemarie van Wezel on RTL News about PFAS in the blood of animals and humans
PFAS compounds have been found in the blood of more than 330 animal species in the wild, according to a new report from advocacy organization Environmental Working Group (EWG). Annemarie van Wezel (UvA-IBED) calls this 'alarming' in an article on RTL Nieuws. According to her, it shows how persistent PFAS are.
Carina Hoorn in Het Parool and New Scientist about the rapid deforestation of the Amazon
Humans are destroying the rainforest at such a rapid rate that natural recovery processes can no longer keep up. “Our main concern is that deforestation will reach a tipping point where the forest can no longer recover,” says earth scientist Carina Hoorn, who was involved in the analysis.
Millions of kilos of extra nitrogen, because farmers illegally take land
Much more biodiversity restoration is possible along field margins, says Kenneth Rijsdijk. Then hedges should return.
Jorin Veen on Radio 1 about the evolution of human brains
Student Jorin Veen recently graduated cum laude with Karline Janmaat (UvA-IBED) for research into the evolution of human brains. According to him, the unusual size of our brains has to do with the way we used to collect food. He talks about this in the Radio 1 news.
Bernou Boven on NPO radio about microplastics from laundry
The number of microplastics in our living environment is increasing daily. Not only should more research be done into the shared effects of this, but we should also look at how we can reduce our emissions, reports TNO. Bernou Boven explains in the radio program "Vroege Vogels" whether we can adjust small things in our washing behavior, so that fewer microplastics are released in the washing machine.
Amazon deforestation may be irreversible
The rate of deforestation in the Amazon is greater than previously thought. There is therefore a risk that a threshold value will be reached, after which the ecosystem will change irreversibly. And that could have catastrophic consequences for the global climate system, writes a UN panel of leading scientists on 27 January in Science. Carina Hoorn is one of them. 'Man's influence in the Amazon is now so great that the natural processes in an area of millions of square kilometers have no time to recover.
Amazon at the limit: one third damaged, two thirds endangered
The rainforest on the Amazon is home to around one tenth of all known plant and vertebrate species on earth. Human activity could seal its demise. On December 13, 2022, Maja Bradarić was promoted to the other bird trek on the Noordzee and the mogelijkheid die trek te Voorspellen. Rijkswaterstaat had the University of Opdracht given for the separate area. Het voorspellingsmodel dat dit onderzoek heeft vororttzt is a relevant part of a curtailment procedure for wind energy at sea: het (nagenoeg) stopzetten van wind turbines zodra er massale vogeltrek over sea op rotorhoogte wordt monitored.
How many microplastics are released during a wash?
Antonia Praetorius, Lies Jacobs and Bernou Boven are leading a public survey that checks how many microplastics are released during the washing of clothes in an average Dutch household. Daily newspaper "Trouw" visited their lab at the Amsterdam Science Park.
Bonobos are more interested in strangers' emotions than familiar ones
A new research shows that both bonobos and humans are more interested in photos of conspecifics showing emotion than in neutral photos. But while in humans our attention is drawn to photos of people we know, in bonobos attention is more quickly drawn to the emotion of individuals unknown to them.
New bird prediction model can contribute to fewer bird casualties from offshore wind farms
On 13 December 2022, Maja Bradarić obtained her PhD on the subject of bird migration in the North Sea and the possibility of predicting that migration. Rijkswaterstaat had commissioned the university to carry out this study. The prediction model that this research has produced is an important part of a curtailment procedure for offshore wind energy: the (virtually) shutting down of wind turbines as soon as massive bird migration over the sea at rotor height is expected.