Present use of the Dutch sandy-soil landscape is not sustainable and not climate proof. Hence there is an urgent and widely supported need for a socio-environmental transformation. We propose that in future landscape systems, functions at each location should align with local soil suitability and water availabililty. This requires a paradigm shift from the present system, where landscapes are modified through e.g. water management and fertilization to serve desired functions. With our research team and consortium of experts and actors, we will design nature-based landscapes that are climate-resilient and valuable and we will identify pathways towards these desired landscapes.

This research project seeks to promote reduction in maternal and infant mortality by developing and evaluating approaches for accelerated attainment of MDG 4 and 5. The work will be carried out in the Northern and Greater Accra regions of Ghana and is expected to provide lessons for Ghana as well as other sub-Saharan African countries. The interventions aim at strengthening the basic health system functions of organization and the delivery of essential and quality health services, human resource management, and governance and clinical decision making related to maternal and neonatal health. The interventions will be executed in three closely interrelated research sub-projects. PhD researchers in the disciplines of epidemiology, medical anthropology, health policy and health systems management will be trained within the projects as part of capacity building for sustainable development. Their participation in the project will be rooted in their institutional context to strengthen health service delivery and academic institutions in Ghana.

Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) intend to provide incentives for innovation by providing an exclusive right on commercialisation. IPR systems are expanding, both in terms of the number of countries, and the subject matter to which these regulations apply. Yet, the incentive for breeding new plant varieties for poor farmers is unclear since they commonly depend on informal seed sources. On the other hand, more advanced technologies may be available to developing countries when IPRs are effectively implemented. Ethical dilemmas arise as to who will benefit from the different types of IPRs. The research project will analyse the different seed systems for commercial and food security crops using System Dynamics methods. This provides insights to analyse the impact of different IPR systems (Trademarks, Patents and Plant Breeders Rights). The project concentrates on South Africa, Uganda and Ethiopia and involves case studies that have a strong link with The Netherlands (potato biotechnology and vegetable breeding). The project will inform African countries that are to introduce or upgrade their IP systems, managers of the breeding organisations in Africa and abroad that have to adjust their IP-strategies accordingly in such a way that innovation, and (poor) peoples access to its products, is indeed stimulated. The project has an interdisciplinary management team with scientists from these African countries, and secured involvement of African NGOs, private sector and research managers in the valorisation team. The scientific publications and policy briefs, and the linkages of the project with ongoing initiatives, contribute to its societal relevance.

Mangroves trap sediments, provide breeding and nursing grounds for aquatic animals, improve water quality, and contribute to coastal protection. During the 1960s polders were built in the coastal districts of Bangladesh to protect agricultural lands from tidal inundation, and to increase rice production. However, subsequent water logging and salinization compelled farmers to convert polders into shrimp farms. Due to global demands for seafood, adjacent mangroves were also cleared to bring more wetlands under shrimp culture, thereby undermining the ecosystem role of mangroves. Mangrove-Polders deals with shrimp culture using suitable mangrove species as an alternative development strategy in polders where rice is no longer viable. The effect on water quality and shrimp performance will be tested to support the selection of appropriate mangrove species. The sedimentation, as well as survival and growth of the mangroves and shrimp species will be monitored, and the overall effect will be analysed through modelling.

The twentieth century witnessed important changes in the ways undomesticated animals moved (and were being moved) across the earth. Think of invasions of alien species and reintroductions of locally extinct ones, the disturbance of migratory routes and large-scale trade in zoo animals. The project Moving Animals analyses how humans have studied, represented and managed these movements.