MW (Marieke) Mom, MSc

Marieke Mom joined the Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management Group at Wageningen University in 2025 as a PhD candidate. During her PhD, she investigates if and how trophic rewilding - a form of nature management in which large grazers are introduced strategically or managed passively - can help form a self-regulating and biodiverse salt marsh ecosystem, and whether it enhances the resilience of the ecosystem in a changing climate.

Through field experiments, she examines the effects of active and passive rewilding on the ecosystem as a whole, including plant and insect diversity, carbon storage, and erosion resistance. In addition, she studies the effects of trophic rewilding along the European coastline (Baltic and boreal, North Atlantic, South Atlantic, and Mediterranean) through a Europe-wide field survey in 2026, and carries out a large-scale mesocosm experiment (2026–2028) to better understand the effects of trophic rewilding on ecosystem resilience under various local and global stressors, such as heatwaves and sea-level rise.

In her research, she considers it important that the results are not limited to academia but are translated into accessible forms to reach a broad audience. She does this through close collaboration with artists and nature managers, and by sharing her work via blogs and other media.