Profile
Hugo Coops is an experienced ecologist with strong background in research and consultancy. Specialist in aquatic and wetland ecosystem restoration. Skilled project manager and leader of multidisciplinary project teams. Experienced in botanical surveys, ecological fieldwork and experimentation. Sound knowledge of ecological assessment and statistical data analysis. Good presentation, writing and reviewing skills in Dutch and English, research published in various peer-reviewed scientific journals as well as reports and books (see publications).
Education and qualifications
PhD Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Nijmegen (The Netherlands), 1996.
Graduated at Agricultural University Wageningen (The Netherlands), 1987 (main topics Nature Conservation, Weed Science and Plant Ecology).
Work experience
2008 – present: self-employed ecological consultant, Scirpus Ecologisch Advies, conducting commissioned project-based work for national and regional governments and private companies. Activities include on-site advisory work and surveying, contributing to the design and evaluation of ecological restoration projects, assessment and evaluation of biological monitoring programs, analysis and reporting of monitoring data and the development, application of macrophyte metrics. Text writer on various ecological subjects (documents and websites). Currently preparing a book about the Common Reed.
2006 – 2007: Senior advisor, WL/Delft Hydraulics.
WL/Delft Hydraulics (present name: Deltares) is a large technological institute in the Netherlands.
Responsible for acquiring and conducting projects in the field of water management commisioned by EU, national and regional goverments; overseeing project teams and mentoring younger staff members.
2005: Visiting professor, Shimane University, Matsue City (Japan). Research in coastal lagoon ecosystems, presenting seminars and lectures at several other institutes and universities in Japan.
2002 – 2004: Guest scientist, Netherlands Institute for Ecological Research(KNAW-NIOO).
1998 – 2004: Board member of Netherlands/Flemish Ecological Society (Necov) and chairman of its Macrophyte working group. Organizer and chairman of several symposia. Member of the scientific committee of the INTECOL Wetlands Conference 2004.
1992 – 2006: Researcher/consultant at RIZA (Institute for Inland Water Management and Waste Water Treatment, The Netherlands).
RIZA was the national research institute for freshwater management in The Netherlands and was part of the Dutch Ministry of Public Works and Water.
Project leader of various studies in the field of ecological restoration and wetland management: 'green' shoreline protection, floodplain forest restoration, management of aquatic vegetation, ecologically-based water-level management, and reedbed management. Responsible for project initiation and management, reporting and presenting project results, leading multidisciplinary project teams, advisory task to water managers. Collaboration with various universities (RUN, UU, UvA, VU, WUR), institutes (Alterra, NIOO, WL) and consultancies, including several international collaboration projects, e.g. in Romania (Danube Delta research Institute, Tulcea), UK (Broads Authority and University of East Anglia, Norwich), France (Biological Station of Tour-du-Valat, Arles), Germany (University of Constance, Constance) and USA (South Florida Water Management District, West Palm Beach FL).
1989 – 1992 Research assistant, University of Nijmegen
Research of the hydraulic effects on shoreline vegetation, including field and laboratory experiments, resulting in 1996 in a PhD thesis ('Helophyte zonation: impact of water depth and wave exposure').
1988 – 2000 Board member of the Foundation for River Research: organised applied ecology courses for water managers.
1987 – 1989 Field assistant at RIZA, Dordrecht. Inventory of remaining Bulrush stands in the freshwater tidal area in the SW-Netherlands, involved in various monitoring and restoration projects.