Coastal flood managers seek to anticipate future flood risk and as a result consider the adaptation of flood defences. Instead of crest heightening, dikes can be adapted to include hydrodynamic reducing vegetated foreshores to form a nature-based hybrid flood defence, for instance; at managed realignments. …

Species rich grasslands provide ecosystem services such as floral and faunal diversity, livestock forage, carbon sequestration and water regulation. However, the best combinations of sward diversity and management intensity to achieve the above-mentioned ecosystem services are not fully known. To address …

Nature-based strategies, such as wave attenuation by tidal marshes, are increasingly proposed as a complement to mitigate the risks of failure of engineered flood defense structures such as levees. However, recent analysis of historic coastal storms revealed smaller dike breach dimensions if there were …

Animal burrows create discontinuities on the body of earthen levees that under certain circumstances can threaten their structural integrity through hydraulic alteration and surface erosion. Although it is a virtually established fact that discontinuities can undermine the structural integrity of levees, …

This thesis covers the topic of ‘Optimal management of equine pastures’. From the equine sector, a request was made for more knowledge on the topic of pasture management. The main problem with gaining information on this topic is not the lack of existing knowledge, but the knowledge being spread over …

With climate change and urban development, water systems are changing faster than ever. Currently, the ecological status of water systems is still judged based on single point measurements, without taking into account the spatial and temporal variability of water quality and ecology. There is a need …

Mexican oregano is a non-timber forest product harvested in natural vegetation and represents an important source of income for rural families. Recent reports have highlighted decreases in natural populations caused by increased harvest intensity. Oregano leaf harvesting is a complex problem, involving …

Tropical dry forests (TDF) are subject to intense human intervention leading to an increase of secondary forests and changes in habitat suitability for birds. Despite the increasing research on secondary forests, we have little understanding of how such changes intropical dry forests have affected animal …

Design for a spa at the intersection of landscapes. With the sea level rise due to climate change, the traditional way of keeping the island save, by building dikes, will eventually become unaffordable. With farsightedness, twenty-five years ago an experiment with dynamic costal management was started …

Heathland, with its frail character, has always been one of the most essential habitats for almost all indigenous reptile species in the Netherlands. Situated in the Drents-Friese Wold National Park, the Doldersummerveld ranks as one of the best developed heathland areas of Western Europe and counts …