Ever since lake Volkerak got its status as a partially closed-off lake in the late ‘80s, excessive (cyanobacterial) algae blooms in the summer period have been a consistently occurring problem. This research aims to investigate the location-specific effectiveness of wetlands and floodplains in nutrient …

Organic farming is increasingly promoted as a means to reduce the environmental impact of artificial fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and antibiotics in conventional dairy systems. These factors potentially affect the microbial communities of the production stages (soil, silage, dung, and milk) of …

Renewing agricultural grasslands for improved yields and forage quality generally involves eliminating standing vegetation with herbicides, ploughing and reseeding. However, grassland renewal may negatively affect soil quality and related ecosystem services. On clay soil in the north of the Netherlands, …

India is facing issues with the availability of vegetables and with water quality and availability especially in Maharashtra where the availability of water depends on the season. Drought years can have a severe impact on the agriculture production. The polyhouse can be a solution to increase the production …

Decomposition is an ecosystem process, mainly important in the carbon and nitrogen cycles. When looking at what drives decomposition, there are three major drivers. These are plant litter quality, microbes and soil animals (detritivores). A large problem in understanding the decomposition process is …

Sustainable Urban Drainages Systems (SuDS) are designed to collect, store and infiltrate large amount of surface runoff water during heavy rainfall. Surface runoff water is known to transport pollutants such as particle bound heavy metals. Therefore, a build-up of pollutants in the top-soil, of the commonly …

Agricultural by-products, that is primary residue, industrial by-products and animal manure, are an important source of nutrients and carbon for maintaining soil quality and crop production but can also be valorised through treatment pathways such as fermentation, incineration or a combination of these …

Designers of the Anthropocene era have to work with and for nature in order to reintroduce its beauty and functionality into our everyday life. As humans, we are colonising every single spot on earth. According to the United Nations, 55% of the human population is currently living in cities and by 2050 …

Stormwater runoff has severe negative and direct impact on the quality of surface waters and groundwater. The impact can cause chemical and heavy-metal pollution. Applying well established methods to map pollutants in urban areas and specifically in Nature-Based Solutions (NBS), such as Sustainable Urban …