EG (Ewout) Knoester, MSc
Biography
I am a marine ecologist focused on developing scalable, climate-resilient strategies for coral reef restoration. My work combines restoration ecology and coral physiology to better understand the mechanisms behind reef recovery and thermal resilience. Much of my research is based in southern Kenya, where I lead scientific activities for REEFolution, a community-based reef restoration NGO that I helped establish during my PhD.
My work mainly consists of conducting long-term field experiments such as on herbivory, predator control, and restoration cost-efficiency, as well as collaborative studies on coral heat tolerance and microbiome-based resilience. The goal is to develop, apply and monitor tools for heat-resilient coral reef restoration, for example through selective breeding or the application of probiotics. In parallel, I am keen to explore AI-based tools to improve both the resolution and coverage of coral reef monitoring.
I strive to publish my work in non-profit journals, so that resources intended for science remain in science. I strive for my scientific work to reach both communities and conservation practitioners in the wider Western Indian Ocean region. I support coral reef conservation policy through contributions to Kenya’s National Coral Reef Restoration Protocol and the Western Indian Ocean Coral Reef Task Force.