Research Theme : Water & Ecosystems Quality

Aquatic Ecosystems

Hydrology & Water Resources

Water Governance

Scope and objectives

Economic

Environmental

Social

Current research:

Ranging from studies on pollutant transport, nutrient cycles,

ecosystems services, and governance

Aquatic Ecosystems Pollutant transport;

eco- hydrology

Wetland ecology

Policy and livelihoods

MSc, PhD, post-doc research; Moz I & M Monitoring NICHE Rwanda; Mara Basin; DANCERS (Danube); UNEP Wetlandsforum/TEEB; Special issue on papyrus.

AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS Understanding socio-ecological processes

E-flows; Integrated Agric and wetland mgmt

•ECOLIVE •Lake Victoria Fisheries Governance •IWRM certification

•Nitrogen cycling •Hv Metals retention •Pressures-impacts

Understanding natural processes

Wetland models

Capacity building &

and Outreach

Papers Ph Ds Policy docs

• Quantifying indicators of ecosystem functions and services in relation to changing conditions (hydrology, eutrophication, land use, climate) based on ecosystem models (assimilation, cycling, transformation, losses)

• Use these indicators to estimate trade-offs in ecosystem functions and services

Namatala wetland, Uganda

Nyando papyrus wetland, Kenya

Land use/Land Cover Wetlands

Forest Urban/Industrial

Agriculture

Hydrologic losses Leaching

Human activities

CH4, CO2

Export OM, N

Heterotrophic Respiration

N2O, N2

Denitrification

Assimilation Aquatic Ecosystems • Food Webs • Water Residence Time

Organic Matter DOM, POM

Nitrogen NO3, NH4, DON, PN

Mineralization, Transformation

Main research questions focus on: 1. How land use & human activity influence OM and N inputs to aquatic ecosystems 2. How aquatic ecosystems (including wetlands) process/retain carbon and nitrogen 3. Interactions between C and N cycling (mainly through interactions between OM quality

and denitrification) 4. Tradeoffs in ecosystem services in wetlands (e.g. food production vs. nutrient

retention)

Linking Research to Education Chair, plus Coordinator of Environmental Sciences M.Sc

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EPMDELFT BASED ES

+ A number of Joint MSc programmes including Limnology and Wetland Management with Universities of Egerton (Kenya) and BOKU (Austria).

Wetlands: Wise Use, Smart Plans 8-12 July 2013, Umubano Hotel, Kigali, Rwanda

International Forum

Outreach

Outlook and Initiatives

Special Issue on Papyrus wetlands

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