Centre for Wetland Ecology |

Previous successful CWE Symposium: From Wadden Sea to Marker Wadden: functioning and restoration of large aquatic ecosystems

The Wadden Sea and the IJssel- and Markermeer were once part of the single estuary of the Zuiderzee, but have become units since closure of the Afsluitdijk in 1932. Both ecosystems continue to be of great importance as habitat for aquatic organisms, yet they also face many challenges for the conservation of plants, fish and birds. In this CWE symposium we investigate the main drivers of the functioning of these large marine and freshwater ecosystems and pay ample attention to the many new initiatives to restore and improve the quality of nature from Wadden Sea to Marker Wadden.

Han Olff (University of Groningen): Starting from scratch: assembly of novel ecosystems.

Roel Posthoorn (Natuurmonumenten): Bird paradise the (Marker) Wadden: restoration of aquatic ecosystems.

Jan van Gils (Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research): Trends and bottlenecks in shorebirds in Wadden systems.

Mennobart van Eerden (Rijkswaterstaat): Waterbird trends in Lake Markermeer and IJsselmeer.

Marjolijn Christianen (University of Groningen): What drives the production of the Wadden Sea food-web?

Harm van der Geest (University of Amsterdam): What drives productivity of Lake Markermeer?

Mariëlle van Riel (Alterra/University of Amsterdam) and Ruurd Noordhuis (Deltares): Marker Wadden “candy-shop” for birds? Historic analysis of a degrading lake and options to increase production.

Wilco de Bruijne (LINKit consult): From Wadden Sea to Marker Wadden and back: restoration of fish migration.

Laura Govers (University of Groningen/ Radboud University): Stimulating ecosystem engineers: restoration of seagrass beds.

Successful CWE Symposium: The good, the bad or a bit of both? The role of exotic species in aquatic ecosystems

Globalization and climate change facilitate the spread of exotic species into our ecosystems. We fear that exotic species will destroy our native ecosystems. However, our feelings towards exotic species are mixed, because sometimes they may play a crucial role in healing our damaged ecosystems. In the upcoming CWE symposium we unravel how exotic plants and animals impact ecosystem functioning, find out whether they coexist or compete with native species and discover their impact on native flora and fauna. Download a pdf of the poster

The presentations are available for download:

Ralf Verdonschot (Alterra Wageningen UR) - Do non-indigenous species replace or coexist with native species? An example from Dutch freshwater invertebrate communities.
Martijn Dorenbosch (Bureau Waardenburg) - Invasive fish in Dutch aquatic systems: a blessing or a curse?
Annemarieke Spitzen (RAVON & Ghent University) - Invasive pathogens threaten amphibian diversity
Joachim Mergeay (Instituut voor Natuur- en Bosonderzoek) - Grasping coevolution is key to managing invasive species
Iris Stiers (Free University Brussels) - The influence of invasive plant species cover on different biological communities in temperate aquatic ecosystems
Emiel Brouwer (B-WARE) - New Zealand Pigmyweed (Crassula helmsii), a big threat to the vegetation of soft water pools?
Bart Grutters (NIOO) - Native and non-native plants support similar ecosystem functions in freshwater ecosystems
Ruurd Noordhuis (Deltares) - Pros and cons of invaders in the larger lakes in The Netherlands
Bart Schaub (Hoogheemraadschap Rijnland) - Investigating the quagga mussel invasion

Successful CWE Symposium: Half a century of fundamental and applied wetland ecology, 27 November 2015

Talks can be downloaded from this page.

The last CWE symposium, 'Half a century of fundamental and applied wetland ecology: from acidification to climate change', was dedicated to the retirement of Prof. dr. Jan Roelofs.

Wetland ecologists have dealt with many different anthropogenic stressors over the past decades. The fundamental and applied research concerning these stressors has contributed to our knowledge on how wetland ecosystems function. In this symposium, the speakers will talk about drivers of change, important ecosystem processes and options for habitat restoration. Following the regular programme, Prof. dr. Jan Roelofs gave his official farewell lecture after 42 years of ecological research.

Successful CWE Symposium: Growing Peat, 11 June 2015

The symposium on Growing Peat was well visited by an international audience of more than 80 people. We had a full programme with interesting talks and a wonderful lunch excursion to the Volgermeer. The presentations are available as pdf's:

Prof. dr. Bas van Geel on A palaeo-ecological view on peat growth
Prof. dr. Leon Lamers on Volgermeer: from chemical waste dump to growing peatland
Dr. Jeroen van Zuidam on Colonization by ecosystem engineers: Influence of trophic level and waterbird disturbance
Ciska Overbeek MSc on Production and decomposition of aquatic pioneer vegetation
Sarah Faye Harpenslager MSc on Peat formation: a matter of (C-) balance
Dr. Annemieke Kooijman on Growing peat: don’t forget the rich-fen stage
Dr. Winnie Rip on Can watermanagement stimulate peat formation?
Dr. Bas van de Riet on Omhoog met het Veen: Results & Perspectives for Paludiculture in the Peat Meadow Landscape

We thank all participants for their contribution to this successful symposium. The next CWE symposium, 'Half a century of fundamental and applied wetland ecology: from acidification to climate change', is dedicated to the retirement of Prof. dr. Jan Roelofs and will be held in Nijmegen at the 27th of November. More information will follow later.

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