How do green sea turtles influence sediment carbon dynamics in tropical #seagrass ecosystems? This is exactly what Susi Rahmawati is investigating during her PhD in our group at WUR….
The results of our recent study reveal both the vulnerability and the surprising resilience of tropical seagrass, despite the growing threats posed by climate change. Led by Fee Smulders from our group, we – an international group of 30+ scientists -investigated how seagrass responds to warming waters, nutrient pollution, and grazing by sea turtles and fish (Did you know ocean warming pushes herbivores such as sea turtles and fish into northerly areas, where they graze more heavily on seagrass?). This ecologically important ecosystem, which provides food and shelter for fish and turtles, protects our coastlines from erosion, and stores CO₂, is increasingly under pressure due to environmental changes.
Fee Smulders en veldassistent verzamelen zeegras op Eleuthera (Bron: Marjolijn Christianen)(more…)
Last Thursday on #RewildingDay, our WildMarsh team was knee-deep (literally! – see below) in putting research into practice, setting up two hudge field experiments in Zeeland to collect robust rewilding data—hence this belated update. Setting up these experimental exclosures is no walk in the park! Our team persevered through challenging conditions, hauling heavy wooden poles, fences, and tools through deep gullies and manually carrying materials hundreds of meters through thick mud.
Building the exclosures at Hedwige polder with Marieke, Jente (and Aiso and Bart in the background)
All this effort to investigate:
The impact of deer on low marsh colonization in the #Hedwige polder The effects of water buffalo grazing and trampling on the high marsh (drowned lands of Saeftinghe), and we’ll be investigating effects on #biodiversity wave erosion and heatwave resilience.
Buffalo exclosure – in bright green @ Baalhoek, Zeeland
One significant advantage we have in this Dutch landscape (compared to some of our other research sites) is our collaboration with local experts. The ecologists at @Zeeuws landschap have been invaluable partners, providing baseline data and access to their excellent field station. We’re also fortunate that colleagues from the Province of Zeeland and NIOZ established exclosures 5 years ago (see drone photo) giving us valuable insights into the longer-term impacts of megaherbivore reintroduction. Additionally, we’re collaborating with Freenature, who manage the herd and are helping us track buffalo spatial movements. Early results already show interesting differences in the impacts of buffalo compared to cattle, Next week Marieke Mom and Jente van Leeuwe will coordinate finalizing all the exclosures and taking the first measurements. Thanks to the many students colleagues and volunteers (Sven, Aiso, Jens van der Zee , Marlies Vollebregt , Brenda Walles, Twan, Bart de Koster, Valerie, Justin, Vincent and team Baecke) that helped this week, and already to those helping the I next. Stay tuned for updates as our exclosures yield their first data sets. the WildMarsh team
Seagrass restoration is a collective effort! Last Monday, we had the privilege of hosting the Seagrass Community of Practice 2025 at Wageningen University. Together with Witteveen+Bos, we designed a program focused on knowledge exchange and collaboration. With 65 experts from academia, consultancy, government, and NGOs, we explored the latest insights and best practices in seagrass restoration.
Lina Mtwana Nordlund about our new letter in PNAS: “Seagrasses are really cool, they can reduce the abundance of bacterial pathogens from the water. This is great for seaweed farming BUT can be quite harmful for the seagrass!”
Can coastal ecosystem recovery outpace the impacts of coastal development? 🌊 Our blue carbon workshop in #Curaçao explored this question. A week packed with in-water research, on-site discussions with experts from Curaçao and Bonaire, and quality time to reflect on future work with colleagues Céline, Mischa, and Mandy. We:
How to strengthen coastal #resilience in Kenya? —this was the focus of last week’s workshop in Tiwi, where around 35 of us gathered to exchange ideas. Participants included
We are hiring! Two PhD Positions are available as part of the NWO-funded WildMarsh project, focusing on trophic #rewilding in coastal ecosystems! Collaborate with a team from Wageningen University and the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) as we explore how reintroducing large animals 🦌🐃 in #saltmarshes impacts biodiversity and coastal resilience against climate change. 🌱🌊:
What an extraordinary week at hashtag#ISBW15_WSC, “the largest gathering of hashtag#seagrass experts on the planet,” in beautiful Naples! 🌿🌍 Great seagrass research, seagrass!, delicious food, an amazing venue, and lovely people (photos below):
🚀 Field Project in Marine Sciences: Mission Accomplished! 🌊 122 dedicated Wageningen University & Research students immersed themselves in both ecological and social marine fieldwork techniques, analyzing the intricate socio-ecological system around Texel
