Staatsbosbeheer is one of the main Dutch owners and managers of nature reserves. IBED has been working with Staatsbosbeheer for years in various nature areas in which the relationships between landscape and nature management are investigated. For this collaboration, research will be carried out by both organizations, especially in the Oostvaardersplassen nature reserve.

The research will mainly focus on the relationship between soil ecology, landscape dynamics and nature management in the grassy part of the Oostvaardersplassen. The aim of the study is to map nutrient flows and to understand how grazing pressure and grazing by different animals influence landscape dynamics and soil ecology. The Oostvaardersplassen is home to many different grazers such as horses, deer, cattle and geese. For the research project, which will run for five years, several monitoring sites will be constructed where vegetation and soils will be monitored to different grazing regimes. The research will be coordinated by IBED scientists Professor Franciska de Vries and Dr Kenneth Rijsdijk.