Alexander van Oudenhoven
Assistant professor
- Name
- Dr. A.P.E. van Oudenhoven
- Telephone
- +31 71 527 7473
- a.p.e.van.oudenhoven@cml.leidenuniv.nl
- ORCID iD
- 0000-0002-3258-2565
Alexander van Oudenhoven is an environmental scientist who works on the interface between ecosystems and people. He is Education Director of the Governance of Sustainability master’s programme.
More information about Alexander van Oudenhoven
PhD candidates
News
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Green roofs and tile flipping: research in The Hague on the best approach to climate and species diversity -
Alexander van Oudenhoven: 'Governance of Sustainability is something I would have wanted to study myself' -
Alexander van Oudenhoven appointed Director of Education of the master Governance of Sustainability -
Back to the Faculty with lecturer Alexander van Oudenhoven -
Ecologist Michiel Veldhuis is the Discoverer of the Year 2020 -
Renske Donkers wins Young Star Award, students surprise lecturers -
These animal species are dear to us, but can we protect them? -
1 million euros for research into climate adaptation Dutch sandy coasts -
Experts provide three necessary solutions to the biodiversity crisis -
New book on the Sand Motor offers research findings and reflection -
Four new editorial board positions for CML -
Worldwide degradation of land use and nature threatens prosperity and well being -
‘We should help nature to help us’
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Nature provides more to people than material benefits -
Towards a liveable future -
Alexander van Oudenhoven Discoverer of the year 2016 -
Our Talents and Discoveries 2016
Professional experience
Alexander van Oudenhoven is an environmental scientist who works on the interface between ecosystems and people. He is Education Director of the Governance of Sustainability master’s programme. Alexander specializes in quantifying and conceptualizing contributions that nature provides to humans, in relation to environmental management, spatial planning and decision making. For example, how do traditional ‘hard’ coastal protection structures (e.g. concrete dykes and barriers) compare to more nature-friendly management measures (e.g. beach nourishments), in terms of coastal protection, dune development and fishery enhancement. And how can we incorporate biodiversity and ecosystems in urban planning, so that the intensive rainfall can be captured and heat stress reduced? Alexander joined CML in May 2015 as a postdoctoral researcher as part of the NWO-TTW-funded NatureCoast project. In September 2018, he became Assistant Professor at the same institute. The main focus of Alexander’s education lies in the MSc programme Governance of Sustainability. He is acting Director of Education of the programme, supervises thesis students and coordinates the course ‘Governance of Biodiversity and Ecosystems’. Alexander also teaches at Leiden University College in the Hague, and gives guest lectures at the MSc Biology program and Minor Sustainable Development at Leiden University.
Next to his work at Leiden University, Alexander was Lead Author at the ‘Intergovernmental science-policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services’ (IPBES), between 2015 and 2018. Open to all United Nations member countries, IPBES has become the leading intergovernmental body for assessing the state of the planet's biodiversity, its ecosystems and the essential services they provide to society. Alexander was responsible for the Regional Assessment for Europe and Central Asia, and is Leiden University’s IPBES focal point to the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Fisheries. In addition, Alexander is Co-Editor-in-Chief of Ecosystems and People, an interdisciplinary open access journal that addresses how biodiversity and ecosystems underpin human quality of life, and how societal activities and preferences drive changes in ecosystems.
Education and earlier work
Alexander graduated from Wageningen University in 2008, where he obtained both his BSc and his MSc degree in the interdisciplinary field of Environmental Systems Analysis. He did an internship at the World Resources Institute (Washington, D.C.), and wrote an MSc thesis on the impacts of climate change on the spatial distribution of the oak processionary caterpillar (Thaumetopoea processionea), which constitutes a major health problem in western Europe. This work was done in collaboration with De Natuurkalender (‘Nature’s Calendar’), for which Alexander continued to work on spatial assessments of ticks (Lyme disease) and predicting pollen development (hay fever, the pollen planner).
Between 2009 and early 2015, Alexander was a PhD researcher at Wageningen University, combining his PhD research with several other applied projects. His research aim was to quantify the effects of management on ecosystem services (thesis). Alexander developed a framework for indicator selection and applied and tested this framework during case studies in National Landscape ‘Het Groene Woud’ (The Netherlands), mangrove systems in Java (Indonesia) and semi-arid rangelands, both globally and in the Eastern Cape (Southern Africa). Next to his PhD, he also took part in several projects with the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL), developing a database of ecosystem services in relation to biodiversity, land use, land cover and management. Finally, Alexander also participated in a trans-disciplinary project in Indonesia called ‘Mangrove Capital’, together with colleagues from Deltares, Wetlands International, The Nature Conservancy, Indonesian universities and several other partners.
Between 2015 and 2018, Alexander was active as a post-doctoral researcher in NatureCoast, a transdisciplinary project focusing on the ‘Sand Motor’, a so-called mega-nourishment; around 21 million m3 of sand were deposited along the Ter Heijde coast, which should be sufficient for the next twenty to thirty years. One of Alexander’s tasks was the integration of NatureCoast’s research data of 12 PhD reserachers into policy-relevant information.
Research topic
In his current research and education, van Oudenhoven aims to embed the various concepts about human-nature relationships in policy and practice, such as ecosystem services, nature-based solutions, ecological engineering, sustainable land management. Following an transdisciplinary approach, Alexander works with municipalities, provincial authorities, water boards and (inter)national decision-makers to solve real-world problems through nature-inclusive approaches. Think of using urban green (and blue) to reduce local temperatures, increase water buffering and improve leisure opportunities, or restoring rivers to prevent flooding, improve water quality and create a more beautiful and appreciated landscape. A key aspect of Alexander’s research is the development and analysis of indicators that are both scientifically valid and feasible, but also relevant to and perceived as legitimately developed by decision makers, managers and other stakeholders.
Assistant professor
- Science
- Centrum voor Milieuwetenschappen Leiden
- CML/Environmental Biology
- Geukes H.H., Bodegom P.M. van & Oudenhoven A.P.E. van (2024), Setting the stage for decision-making on nature-based solutions for coastal climate adaptation, Ocean & Coastal Management 247: 106916.
- Remme R.P., Meacham M., Pellowe K.E., Andersson E., Guerry A.D., Janke B., Liu L., Lonsdorf E., Li M., Mao Y., Nootenboom C., Wu T. & Oudenhoven A.P.E. van (2024), Aligning nature-based solutions with ecosystem services in the urban century, Ecosystem Services 66: 101610.
- Sievers Eva, Spierenburg M.J., Jhagroe S.S. & Oudenhoven A.P. E van (2024), Place-based knowledge transfer in a local-to-global and knowledge-to-action context: key steps and facilitative factors, Ecology & Society 29(3): 24 (8).
- Geukes H.H., Kettler T., Lansu E.M., Bax V., Höfer S., Schipper M.A. de, Winter R. de, Luijendijk A.P., Reijers V.C., Bodegeom P.M. van, Lageweg W.I. van de, Heide T. van der & Oudenhoven A.P.E. (2024), Sand nourishment for multifunctional coastal climate adaptation: three key implications for researchers, Nature-Based Solutions 6: 100191.
- Li M., Remme R.P., Bodegom P.M. van & Oudenhoven A.P.E. (2024), How Do Nature-Based Solutions Contribute to Biodiversity in Cities. SSRN Electronic Journal no. 5019172. Elsevier. [working paper].
- Geukes H.H., Oudenhoven A.P.E. van & Bodegom P.M. van (2023), Decision-making on nature-based solutions for multifunctional coastal climate adaptation, EGU General assembly 2023. EGU General Assembly 2023 23 April 2023 - 28 April 2023: European Geosciences Union (EGU) .
- Schröter M., Berbés-Blázquez M., Albert C., Hill R., Krause T., Loos J., Mannetti L., Martín-López B., Neelakantan A., Parrotta J., Quintas-Soriano C., Abson D., Alkemade R., Amelung B., Baptiste B., Barrios E., Djoudi H., Drakou E., Durance I., García Llorente M., Geneletti D., Harmáčková Z., Jacobs S., Kaiser N., Kingsley J., Klain S., Martínez-Harms M., Murali R., O’Farrell P., Pandit R., Pereira L., Rana S., Riechers M., Rusch G., Sala J., Schulp C., Sitas N., Subramanian S., Villasante S. & Oudenhoven A.P.E. van (2023), Science on ecosystems and people to support the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, Ecosystems and People 19(1): 2220913.
- Li M., Remme R.P., Bodegom P.M. van & Oudenhoven A.P.E. van (2023), Solution to what? Global assessment of nature-based solutions, urban challenges, and outcomes. bioRxiv. [working paper].
- Singhvi A., Luijendijk A.P. & Oudenhoven A.P.E. van (2022), The grey – green spectrum: a review of coastal protection interventions, Journal of Environmental Management 311: 114824.
- Palinkas C.M, Orton P, Hummel M., Nardin W., Sutton-Grier A., Harris L., Gray M.W., Li M., Ball D., Burks-Copes K., Davlasheridze M., Schipper M. de, George D.A., Halsing D., Maglio C., Marrone J., Mckay S.K., Nutters H., Orff K., Taal M., Oudenhoven A.P.E. van, Veatch W. & Williams T. (2022), Innovations in coastline management with natural and nature-based features (NNBF): lessons learned from three case studies, Frontiers in Built Environment 8: 814180.
- Rensen F. & Oudenhoven A.P.E. van (31 December 2022), ’Het onderscheid tussen mens en natuur moet weg’: afspraken op de top in Montreal lossen de crisis niet op. Interviewed by Rensen F. for Leidsch Dagblad(Regio Leiden) [interview].
- Oudenhoven A.P.E. van (17 February 2021), Digitaal onderwijs bevalt milieukundige Alexander van Oudenhoven wel - ’wat mij betreft komt de oude vorm van college geven nooit meer terug’. Leidsch Dagblad, Regio Leiden.
- Oorschot J. van, Sprecher B., Zelfde M. van 't, Bodegom P.M. van & Oudenhoven A.P.E. (2021), Assessing urban ecosystem services in support of spatial planning in the Hague, the Netherlands, Landscape and Urban Planning 214: 104195.
- Kranendonk R.P. , Hattum T. van, Mourik M.C., Coninx I., Rooij L.L. de, Zeinstra T., Dirksen J., Nijhuis S, Tillie N, Oudenhoven A.P.E. van, Rusinovic K. & Veen. H. van der (2021), Kennisregio aan zee 2070 (, Wageningen University and Research), . Wageningen: Wageningen Environmental Research.
- Schröter M., Kraemer R., Remme R.P. & Oudenhoven A.P.E. van (2020), Distant regions underpin interregional flows of cultural ecosystem services provided by birds and mammals, Ambio 49: 1100-1113.
- Schröter M., Başak E., Christie M., Church A., Keune H., Osipova E., Oteros-Rozas E., Sievers-Glotzbach S., Oudenhoven A.P.E. van, Balvanera P., González D., Jacobs S., Molnár Z., Pascual U. & Martín-López B. (2020), Indicators for relational values of nature’s contributions to good quality of life: the IPBES approach for Europe and Central Asia, Ecosystems and People 16(1): 50-69.
- Washbourne C.L., Dendoncker N., Jacobs S., Mascarenhas A., Longueville F. de, Oudenhoven A.P.E. van, Schröter M., Willemen L., Campagne S., Jones S.K., Garcia-Llorente M., Iniesta-Arandia I., Baró F., Fisher J., Förster J., Jericó-Daminelo C., Lecina-Diaz J., Lavorel S., Lliso B., Montealgre Talero C., Morán-Ordóñez A., Roces-Díaz J.V., Schlaepfer M.A. & Dijk J. van (2020), Improving collaboration between ecosystem service communities and the IPBES science-policy platform, Ecosystems and People 16(1): 165-174.
- Sutherland W.J., Alvarez‐Castañeda S.T., Amano T., Ambrosini R., Atkinson P., Baxter J.M., Bond A.L., Boon P.J., Buchanan K.L., Barlow J., Bogliani G., Bragg O.M., Burgman M., Cadotte M.W., Calver M., Cooke S.J., Corlett R.T., Devictor V., Ewen J.G., Fisher M., Freeman G., Game E., Godley B.J., Gortázar C., Hartley I.R., Hawksworth D.L., Hobson K.A., Lu M-L., Martín‐López B., Ma K., Machado A., Maes D., Mangiacotti M., McCafferty D.J., Melfi V., Molur S., Moore A.J., Murphy S.D., Norris D., Oudenhoven A.P.E. van, Powers J., Rees E.I., Schwartz M.W., Storch I. & Wordley C. (2020), Ensuring tests of conservation interventions build on existing literature, Conservation Biology 34(4): 781-783.
- Oudenhoven A.P.E. van (3 November 2020), ’Tijdperk van pandemieën in aankomst’, vreest onderzoeksplatform IPBES [video]. Leidsch Dagblad, Regio.
- Luijendijk A.P. & Oudenhoven A.P.E. van (Eds.) (2019), The Sand Motor: a nature-based response to climate change. Findings and reflections of the interdisciplinary research program Naturecoast. Delft: Delft University Publishers.
- Turnhout E., Oudenhoven A. van, Willemen L., Visseren-Hamakers I. & Biesmeijer K. (18 May 2019), Ook u kunt bijdragen aan natuurbehoud. Trouw: 27.
- Oudenhoven A.P.E. van & Martín-López B. (Eds.) (2019), Co-Editor in Chief,. Ecosystems and People. Londen, UK: Taylor & Francis.
- Luijendijk A. & Oudenhoven A.P.E. van (2019), The Sand Motor: A Nature-Based Response to Climate Change: Findings and Reflections of the Interdisciplinary Research Program NatureCoast. Delft: Delft University Publishers - TU Delft Library.
- Martín-López B., Oudenhoven A.P.E. van, Balvanera P., Crossman N.D., Parrotta J., Rusch G.M., Schröter M. & Smith-Hall C. (2019), Ecosystems and People – an inclusive, interdisciplinary journal, Ecosystems and People 15(1): 1-2.
- Hossain S., Pogue S.J., Trenchard L., Oudenhoven A.P.E. van, Washbourne C-L., Muiruri E.W., Tomczyk A.M., García-Llorente M., Hale R., Hevia V., Adams T., Tavallali L., De Bell S., Pye M. & Resende F. (2018), Identifying future research directions for biodiversity, ecosystem services and sustainability: perspectives from early-career researchers, International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology 25(3): 249-261.
- Drakou E.G., Kermagoret C., Liquete C., Ruiz-Frau A., Burkhard K., Lillebø A.I., Oudenhoven A.P.E. van, Ballé-Béganton J., Rodrigues J.G., Nieminen E., Oinonen S., Ziemba A., Gissi E., Depellegrin D., Veidemane K., Ruskule A., Delangue J., Böhnke-Henrichs A., Boon A., Wenning R., Martino S., Hasler B., Termansen M., Rockel M., Hummel H., El Serafy G. & Peev P. (2018), Marine and coastal ecosystem services on the science–policy–practice nexus: challenges and opportunities from 11 European case studies, International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services & Management 13(3): 51-67.
- Díaz S., Pascual U., Stenseke M., Martín-López B., Watson R.T., Molnár Z., Hill R., Chan K.M.A., Baste I.A., Brauman K.A., Polasky S., Church A., Lonsdale M., Larigauderie A., Leadley P.W., Oudenhoven A.P.E. van, Plaat F. van der, Schröter M., Lavorel S., Aumeeruddy-Thomas Y., Bukvareva E., Davies K., Demissew S., Erpul G., Failler P., Guerra C.A., Hewitt C.L., Keune H., Lindley S. & Shirayama Y. (2018), Assessing nature’s contributions to people, Science 359(6373): 270-272.
- Díaz S., Pascual U., Stenseke M., Martín-López B., Watson R.T., Molnár Z., Hill R., Chan K.M.A., Baste I.A., Brauman K.A., Polasky S., Church A., Lonsdale M., Larigauderie A., Leadley P.W., Oudenhoven A.P.E. van, Plaat F. van der, Schröter M., Lavorel S., Aumeeruddy-Thomas Y., Bukvareva E., Davies K., Demissew S., Erpul G., Failler P., Guerra C.A., Hewitt C.L., Keune H., Lindley S. & Shirayama Y. (2018), RE: Shifts, drifts and options - A response to Faith, Science 359(6373): .
- Díaz S., Pascual U., Stenseke M., Martín-López B., Watson R.T., Molnár Z., Hill R., Chan K.M.A., Baste I.A., Brauman K.A., Polasky S., Church A., Lonsdale M., Larigauderie A., Leadley P.W., Oudenhoven A.P.E. van, Plaat F. van der, Schröter M., Lavorel S., Aumeeruddy-Thomas Y., Bukvareva E., Davies K., Demissew S., Erpul G., Failler P., Guerra C.A., Hewitt C.L., Keune H., Lindley S. & Shirayama Y. (2018), Assessing nature's contributions to people, Science 359(6373): 270-272.
- Bodegom P.M. van, Oudenhoven A.P.E. van, Biest K. van der, Pijpers B., Zelfde M. van 't & Besteman B. (2018), Sleutelfactor context, Landschap 35(1): 43-50.
- Oudenhoven A.P.E. van, Martín-López B., Schröter M. & Groot R. de (2018), Advancing science on the multiple connections between biodiversity, ecosystems and people, International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services & Management 14(1): 127-131.
- Bodegom P.M. van, Pijpers B., Biest K. van der, Oudenhoven A.P.E. van, Zelfde M van 't & Besteman B. (2018), Steutelfactor Context. Handvatten voor maatschappelijke afwegingen. Stichting Toegepast Onderzoek Waterbeheer - STOWA no. 2018-31. Amersfoort: Stichting Toegepast Onderzoek Waterbeheer.
- Oudenhoven A.P.E. van, Schröter M., Drakou E.G., Geijzendorffer I.R., Jacobs S., Bodegom P.M. van, Chazee L., Czúcz B., Grunewald K., Lillebø A.I., Mononen L., Nogueira A.J.A., Pacheco-Romero M., Perennou C., Remme R.P., Rova S., Syrbe R.-U., Tratalos J.A., Vallejos M. & Albert C. (2018), Key criteria for developing ecosystem service indicators to inform decision making, Ecological Indicators 95(1): 417-426.
- Oudenhoven A.P.E. van, Aukes E., Bontje L.E., Vikolainen V., Bodegom P.M. van & Slinger J.H. (2018), ‘Mind the Gap’ between ecosystem services classification and strategic decision making, Ecosystem Services 33(A): 77-88.
- Vasenev V.I., Oudenhoven A.P.E. van, Romzaykina O.N. & Hajiaghaeva R.A. (2018), The Ecological Functions and Ecosystem Services of Urban and Technogenic Soils: from Theory to Practice (A Review), Eurasian Journal of Soil Science 51(10): 1119-1132.
- Martín-López B., Church A., Başak Dessane E., Berry P., Chenu C., Christie M., Gerino M., Keune H., Osipova E., Oteros-Rozas E., Paillard S., Rossberg A.G., Schröter M. & Oudenhoven A.P.E. van (2018), Chapter 2: Nature’s contributions to people and quality of life. In: Rounsevell M., Fischer M., Torre-Marin Rando A. & Mader A. (Eds.), The IPBES regional assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services for Europe and Central Asia. Bonn: Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). 57-185.
- Schröter M., Stumpf K.H., Loos J., Oudenhoven A.P.E. van, Böhnke-Henrichs A. & Abson D.J. (2017), Refocusing ecosystem services towards sustainability, Ecosystem Services 25: 35-43.
- Oudenhoven A.P.E. van, Schröter M. & Groot R. de (2016), Open access to science on ecosystem services and biodiversity, International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services & Management 12(4): 239-241.
- Schröter M. & Oudenhoven A.P.E. van (2016), Ecosystem Services Go Beyond Money and Markets: Reply to Silvertown, Trends in Ecology & Evolution 31(5): 333-334.
- Oudenhoven A.P.E. van, Schröter M. & Groot R. de (2016), Editorial: Linking biodiversity and ecosystem service science to societal actors, International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services & Management 12(3): 155-159.
- Oudenhoven A.P.E. van, Siahainenia A.J., Sualia I., Tonneijck F.H., Ploeg S. van der, Groot R.S. de, Alkemade R. & Leemans R. (2015), Effects of different management regimes on mangrove ecosystem services in Java, Indonesia, Ocean & Coastal Management 116: 353–367.
- Oudenhoven A.P.E. van, Veerkamp C.J., Alkemade R. & Leemans R. (2015), Effects of different management regimes on soil erosion and surface runoff in semi-arid to sub-humid rangelands. , Journal of Arid Environments 121: 100-111.
- Schroter M., Zanden E.H. van der, Oudenhoven A.P.E. van, Remme R.P., Serna-Chavez H.M., Groot R.S. de & Opdam P. (2014), Ecosystem services as a contested concept : a synthesis of critique and counter-arguments, Conservation Letters 7(6): 514-523.