Introducing: The core team

We would like to introduce the Core team of WildlifeNL by asking a few questions to Ine Dorresteijn (Utrecht University), Joris Cromsigt (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences), Martin Drenthen (Radboud University) and Gerard Schouten (Fontys University of Applied Sciences) . 

How did the WildlifeNL project come about?

Joris: The core of the idea came about during a workshop in Poland that led to a paper on the need for more attention to behavior in wildlife management. Then during informal conversations in the field, or around the coffee table, with various managers, and later a series of more formal workshops with a number of organizations. And then a long period of blood, sweat and tears during the research application phase.

Ine: I joined Copernicus in 2018 and met Joris there. Joris had been working with different stakeholders on this topic for a while. Our areas of expertise are complementary and soon some great ideas emerged to address the topic more broadly. Martin and Gerard joined to also bring in the ethical and technological dimensions, and with a diverse consortium of social partners we started working on the NWA application. As Joris said, it was a long process of blood sweat and tears during the application phase, but also one that brought out a lot of energy because of the enthusiasm of the different partners and the different perspectives on human-animal interactions that emerged during the brainstorming sessions.

Martin: I received an invitation at the end of 2020 to join this project, and help write a pre-proposal. After our proposal received one good review in the first round, there followed a year of hard work to turn a great idea into a promising application. As we developed our ideas, the enthusiasm grew, as did the group of partners who wanted to be involved in the project.

How do you know each other?

Gerard: I met Ine during the first matchmaking meeting of NWO. After this meeting, we talked about this a few more times online in Covid time and we concluded that Fontys University of Applied Sciences could contribute well with practical research, especially building tools to shape the ‘digital’ part of this transformation in co-creation with all kinds of stakeholders.

Martin: I still remember the first email exchange with Ine and Joris, in October 2020, where it seemed like we had been talking to each other about this topic for years already. Our interests and expertise turned out to complement each other perfectly and we also got along well..

Are you looking forward to the project?

Ine: I am looking forward to it immensely. I think it’s great that we are going to work with such an enthusiastic and diverse consortium to see how people and wildlife can live together in the Netherlands.

Joris: What do you think! Especially to, ideally in the field, enter into an honest conversation about possibilities for a shared future for people and wildlife in the Netherlands with all the various parties, and where possible Dutch society at large, and with an open mind.

Gerard: I am extremely looking forward to this project. I find it very challenging to contribute to this broad consortium with ICT technology, such as smart apps, data and AI (artificial intelligence). Besides being a techie myself, I am a huge nature lover and in this project work and passion are coming together for me.

Martin: Absolutely! It is an ambitious and important project, which, if successful, could have a huge impact on the way we co-exist with wildlife in the Netherlands. But it is also a joy to work with so many enthusiastic people, each with their own background and expertise, who want to contribute to a good relationship between people and wildlife in the Netherlands. 

Svenja Waldmann, project manager, and Sonja Meijer, communications manager, are also members of the core team.

A few questions to them too:

How did you get involved with the WildlifeNL project?

Svenja: When the project was assigned, they looked within our faculty who of the project managers had free capabilities, and because I have a background in natural sciences, I thought it would be a lot of fun to contribute to the project.

Sonja: I saw the position come up on LinkedIn and it looked very appealing. I’ve been interested in nature my entire life and I have a communications degree, so that seemed to come together nicely. Fortunately, the team was also enthusiastic about me, so I started in January 2023.

What is your role in the project?

Svenja: As project manager, I supervise the project and have an oversight on the strategic planning as well as the execution.

Sonja: Internal and external communications. From website and social media to the internal communication within the consortium