dr. EM (Elmar) Veenendaal

Since 2002 I holde the position of  Associate Professor at the Nature Conservation and Plant Ecology Group in Wageningen University.Before that I held various positions in the University of Botswana (Okavango Research Institute  and the National institute for Development Research  and Documentation), The Forestry Research  Institute of Ghana, The University of Aberdeen, Schotland and The vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam.

I am a plant ecologist with a keen interest in ecosystem functioning.  I have worked for over thirty years, mostly, (but not exclusively) in the tropics. I love being out in the field and do so as much as possible, sharing my insights with new generations of young scientists and students and being challenged in the process.  I find exploring ecosystems through field studies fascinating and you often find me out in the field where it is all happening under you eyes

In  my work  I aim to unravel complex relationships between vegetation, plant species, climate and soils.  For instance I have worked in many vegetation types in the transition of savanna to forest in many parts of the tropics. There I looked at the wonderful variation in tree types  in relation to water supply, soil type, grazing and fires.  By studying global change processes  I hope to contribute to “smart” conservation management practices and biodiversity conservation for future generations.

I have held multiple grants on Plant Ecology and Earth System Science both in the Tropics and Temperate regions