B (Britt) van Zelst MSc

Research

My inter-transdisciplinary project focuses on the social-ecological effects of beavers in anthropogenic landscapes, like the Netherlands. After being extinct for more than 150 years, beavers were reintroduced in the Netherlands and have been thriving ever since. Many benefits accompany the return and continuous increase of the beaver population, often referred to as ecosystem services, through their ecosystem engineering skills and their role as a keystone species. As a result, beavers are often seen as an enrichment of the landscape. However, the return and continuous increase of the beaver population is also increasingly causing nuisance, so-called ecosystem disservices. Particularly in anthropogenic landscapes, beavers’ ecosystem engineering plans may interfere with people’s engineering plans, resulting in problems. This study will lay the foundation for finding sustainable ways to coexist with beavers so that people can enjoy their blessings and simultaneously handle their burdens in the future. 

Background

BSc International Land and Water Management (2017 - 2020)

• BSc internship / thesis at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Umeå: the effects of beaver dams on chemical water quality in boreal streams (Sweden)

MSc Forest and Nature Conservation (2020 - 2022)

• MSc thesis at the Netherlands institute of Ecology: water quality in artificial wetlands (Marker Wadden and Oostvaardersplassen) under different water level dynamics and successional stages
• MSc internship at the Water & Food research group of Wageningen Environmental Research, in collaboration with water authorities: effective integrated brook restoration projects in the Netherlands