Philosophy

As a team we are concerned with the present dramatic loss of biodiversity, particularly in the tropics. Therefore our group studies the evolution and ecology of biodiversity as well as the
consequences of declining biodiversity without any bias towards a group of organism or a particular ecosystem. We study microbes, fungi, plants and animals and we did research in marine,
freshwater and terrestrial systems across the world. Our philosophy in teaching ecology for a successful career in ecology and conservation biology has three components:

1. Firstly, students must have a thorough knowledge in the diversity of organisms. For this we offer field based and lab courses in systematic biology.

2. Secondly, students need to manage the statistical techniques to handle and map complex biodiversity data. Therefore we offer courses that provide basic and advanced knowledge in statistics and modelling.

3. Thirdly, students need to come into contact with real conservation projects. Therefore we encourage students to do practical training for which we offer contacts to projects at various places around the world.

Practical training