dr. JG (Jose) van Paassen

dr. JG (Jose) van Paassen

Docent

I am a plant ecologist with an interest for restoration ecology, vegetation change and nutrient cycling. I completed my PhD in 2019 in Aberdeen, Scotland, building expertise on effects of nitrogen and phosphorus on carbon storage in heathlands. As lecturer at WUR I am teaching in several courses for the BSc and MSc Forest and Nature Conservation such as Restoration Ecology, Forest and Nature Conservation 2 and Habitat Analysis for Ecologists, and am coordinator of the BSc thesis BBN.

Current projects I am working on with MSc students focus on peatland restoration such as peat moss reintroduction (Bargerveen, the Netherlands) and rewetting of drained peatlands (Ireland, Sweden), and vegetation composition change on river dikes. Furthermore I am involved in the initiative Boshommellandschap Geuldal, stimulating landscape-wide improvement of semi-natural habitat and flower availability.

I enjoy fieldwork and field teaching, writing stories about plants and making illustrations.