About us

The CurveBend consortium consists of 33 researchers of 9 research institutes in the Netherlands, Argentina, Kenya, and Tanzania. Also part of the consortium are 39 societal cooperation partners that work with the researchers on co-creating novel solutions . The project leader is Han Olff from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.

Participating research institutes are the Universities of Groningen, Leiden, VU Amsterdam, Radboud and Wageningen from the Netherlands, INTA in Argentina, Maasai Mara University in Kenya and Mweka College of African Wildlife Management in Tanzania.

Cooperation partners include a range of societal organisations from the Netherlands, Argentina, Kenya and Tanzania that are active in nature conservation, agroecology, communal land management and collective action.

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Our Consortium

Name	CurveBend Role	Organisation	Position at Organisation	Expertise
Han Olff	Main applicant	University of Groningen	full professor	community and conservation ecology
Chris Smit	Co-applicant	University of Groningen	full professor	ecology
Christiaan Both	Co-applicant	University of Groningen	full professor	animal ecology
Frans Sijtsma	Co-applicant	University of Groningen	full professor	sustainable development
Michiel Daams	Co-applicant	University of Groningen	assistant professor	geography, regional and spatial economics
Pablo Tittonell	Co-applicant	University of Groningen	full professor	agroecology
Robert Lensink	Co-applicant	University of Groningen	full professor	finance and development, gender studies
Theunis Piersma	Co-applicant	University of Groningen	full professor	flyway ecology, bird migration, meadow birds
Caroline Archambault	Co-applicant	Leiden University	assistant professor	Anthropology, human rights, demography
Maarten Schrama	Co-applicant	Leiden University	assistant professor	ecology, biodiversity, conservation
Michiel Veldhuis	Co-applicant	Leiden University	assistant professor	ecosystem organization
Mandy de Wilde	Co-applicant	Leiden University	assistant professor	Anthropology, Ethnography
Emily Strange	Co-applicant	Leiden University	assistant professor	Ecology of invasive species
Thomas Franssen	Co-applicant	Leiden University	assistant professor	generic social scientist
Jan-Willem Erisman	Co-applicant	Leiden University	full professor	Environmental sustainability
Koos Biesmeijer	Co-applicant	Leiden University	full professor	Natural Capital
Erwin Bulte	Co-applicant	Wageningen University and Research	full professor	development economics
Fons van der Plas	Co-applicant	Wageningen University and Research	assistant professor	biodiversity loss, land use
Raoul Beunen	Co-applicant	Open University	full professor	Environmental governance
Riyan van den Born	Co-applicant	Radboud University	associate professor	human-nature interactions
Matty Berg	Co-applicant	VU Amsterdam	full professor	veenvitaal living lab, land use, invertebrate diversity
Alex Kisingo	Co-applicant	College of African Wildlife Management	lecturer	Spatial planning, wildlife management
Jedidah Nankaya	Co-applicant	Maasai Mara University	assistant professor	human-wildlife interactions, invasive species
James Nampushi	Co-applicant	Maasai Mara University	full professor	tourims management and community relations
Lou Kruger-Zwart	Co-applicant	University of Groningen	project manager	European studies, migration, international relations
Ana Wingeyer	Co-applicant	Instituto Nacional de Technologia Agropecuaria	Researcher	agroecology
Veronica El Mujtar	Co-applicant	Instituto Nacional de Technologia Agropecuaria	Researcher	agroecology
Joost Fluitsma	Co-applicant	Joost Fluitsma	graphical designer	visual thinking
Sonia Canavelli	Co-applicant	Instituto Nacional de Technologia Agropecuaria	Researcher	Agricultural systems, livestock
Rodrigo Tizón	Co-applicant	Instituto Nacional de Technologia Agropecuaria	Researcher	Ornithology
Lucrecia Lezana	Co-applicant	Instituto Nacional de Technologia Agropecuaria	Researcher	agroecology
Noelia Calamari	Co-applicant	Instituto Nacional de Technologia Agropecuaria	Researcher	agroecology
Manuela Fernandez	Co-applicant	Instituto Nacional de Technologia Agropecuaria	Researcher	social scientist, political sciences, ecosystem approach, nature based solutions
Janneke Hoekstra	Cooperation partner	Land van Ons	Board – Biodiversity Portfolio	collective land mangement
Gert Jan van den Born	Cooperation partner	Land van Ons	Perceelcoordinator	collective land mangement
Toos van Noordwijk	Cooperation partner	Wij.Land	director	collective land mangement
Jan Paul van Soest	Cooperation partner	De Gemeynt	director	collective land mangement
Jan Paul van Soest	Cooperation partner	Transitiecoalitie Voedsel	member	food system change management
Louise Vet	Cooperation partner	Deltaplan Biodiversiteitsherstel	founder	ecology and conservation
Sander Turnhout	Cooperation partner	SoortenNL	Strategic advisor	citizen science, nature conservation
Michiel Wallis de Vries	Cooperation partner	De Vlinderstichting	Senior project leader	butterfly conservation
Karsten Schipperheijn	Cooperation partner	Vogelbescherming	Director	bird conservation
Maurice la Haye	Cooperation partner	Zoogdiervereniging	Team leader	Mammal conservation
Piet Bergers	Cooperation partner	Zoogdiervereniging	Director	Mammal conservation
Jori Wolf	Cooperation partner	Staatsbosbeheer	Program Lead National Parks	Nature protection
Hank Bartelink	Cooperation partner	LandschappenNL	Director	Nature protection
Arjan de Vriend	Cooperation partner	Stichting Landschapsbeheer Gelderland	Director	Nature conservation
Geert van Duinhoven	Cooperation partner	Vereniging van Bos- en Natuureigenaren	Advisor knowledge sharing	Nature conservation on private land
Marco Glastra	Cooperation partner	Groninger Landschap	director	Nature conservation
Roel van Gerwen	Cooperation partner	Landschap Noord-Holland	Senior projectleader	Nature conservation
Coenraad Krijger	Cooperation partner	IUCN The Netherlands	director	Nature conservation
Fedes van Rijn	Cooperation partner	Commonland	project leader	communal land management
Willem Ferwerda	Cooperation partner / Advisory Board Member	Commonland	director	communal land management
Mira Heesakkers	Cooperation partner	Provincie Noord-Holland	Sector manager nature &recreation	nature and recreation
Tomas van Hemert	Cooperation partner	Ministerie van LNV	Policy advisor nature-inclusive agriculture	nature-inclusive agriculture
Pablo Modernel	Cooperation partner	Friesland Campina	Policy advisor nature-inclusive agriculture	nature-inclusive agriculture
Meta Knol	Cooperation partner	Meta Knol	director	science-policy interface
Joost Fluitsma	Cooperation partner	Joost Fluitsma	director	visual thinking
Lucas Sayori	Cooperation partner	Northern Loliondo Rangeland Management Area	Director	human-wildlife coexistence
Fredy Ledidi	Cooperation partner	Ngorongoro District Council	District game officer	human-wildlife coexistence
Shengena Killel	Cooperation partner	Naona Maasai Tours Lid	Director	ecotourism
Glory Summay	Cooperation partner	Tanzania National Parks	Head of Ecology	nature conservation
TBA	Cooperation partner	WWF Tanzania		nature conservation
Jackson Mpario	Cooperation partner	Maasai Mara Wildlife Conservancies Organization (MMWCA)	Director	human-wildlife coexistence
Johnson Sipitiek	Cooperation partner	Narok County Government	Minister of Environment	policy
Guy Western	Cooperation partner	South Rift Association of Land Owners	Head of conserving coexistence	human-wildlife coexistence
tba	Cooperation partner	Cambio Rural Entre Ríos
tba	Cooperation partner	Cambio Rural Buenos Aires
tba	Cooperation partner	Aves Argentinas
tba	Cooperation partner	Cooperativa Agropecuaria La Paz

Our PhDs & Postdocs

Name	CurveBend Role	Organisation	Project
Aleksandre Gogaladze	Coordinating Postdoc	University of Groningen	Novel conservation approaches through data integration
Alodia Machumu	PhD East Africa	College of African Wildlife Management | Wageningen University and Research	Patterns, incentives and drivers of income diversification in pastoralist communities
Angela Garrote Cortinez	PhD Argentina	Instituto Nacional de Technologia Agropecuaria | University of Groningen	Optimising inclusive collective action on biodiversity recovery
Emmanuel Kileli Leyani	PhD East Africa	Maasai Mara University | University of Groningen	Differences in benefit sharing between social groups
Ester Oloije	PhD East Africa	Leiden University	Biodiversity responses to collective rangeland management
Jedidah Nankaya	Postdoc	Maasai Mara University | University of Groningen	Improving the wildlife-livestock-water nexus
Kornelis Walma	PhD The Netherlands	Open University	Interplay between collectives and governance systems
Lotte Mens	PhD The Netherlands	University of Groningen	Mismatches between ecological and social lifescapes
Manuel Beissler	PhD Argentina	Instituto Nacional de Technologia Agropecuaria | University of Groningen	Regenerative livestock practices in Espinal woodlands
Rosa Boone	Postdoc	Vrije Universiteit	Biodiversity recovery as a function of collective organisation characteristics
Sara Allievi	PhD Argentina	Instituto Nacional de Technologia Agropecuaria | University of Groningen	Collective generative practices in the Pampas
Yannick Overzee	PhD The Netherlands	Leiden University	Caring for meadow birds or caring for soils?

Our Institutions

Institute	Country	CurveBend Role
University of Groningen	The Netherlands	Main applicant
Open University	The Netherlands	Co-applicant
Leiden University	The Netherlands	Co-applicant
Radboud University	The Netherlands	Co-applicant
VU Amsterdam	The Netherlands	Co-applicant
Wageningen University and Research	The Netherlands	Co-applicant
Instituto Nacional de Technologia Agropecuaria (INTA)	Argentina	Co-applicant
College of African Wildlife Management	Tanzania	Co-applicant
Maasai Mara University	Kenya	Co-applicant
Land van Ons	The Netherlands	Cooperation partner
Wij.Land	The Netherlands	Cooperation partner
De Gemeynt	The Netherlands	Cooperation partner
Transitiecoalitie Voedsel	The Netherlands	Cooperation partner
Deltaplan Biodiversiteitsherstel	The Netherlands	Cooperation partner
SoortenNL	The Netherlands	Cooperation partner
De Vlinderstichting	The Netherlands	Cooperation partner
Vogelbescherming	The Netherlands	Cooperation partner
Staatsbosbeheer	The Netherlands	Cooperation partner
LandschappenNL	The Netherlands	Cooperation partner
Stichting Landschapsbeheer Gelderland	The Netherlands	Cooperation partner
Vereniging van Bos- en Natuureigenaren	The Netherlands	Cooperation partner
Groninger Landschap	The Netherlands	Cooperation partner
Landschap Noord-Holland	The Netherlands	Cooperation partner
IUCN The Netherlands	The Netherlands	Cooperation partner
Commonland	The Netherlands	Cooperation partner
Provincie Noord-Holland	The Netherlands	Cooperation partner
Ministerie van LNV	The Netherlands	Cooperation partner
Friesland Campina	The Netherlands	Cooperation partner
Meta Knol	The Netherlands	Cooperation partner
Joost Fluitsma	The Netherlands	Cooperation partner
Northern Loliondo Rangeland Management Area	Tanzania	Cooperation partner
Ngorongoro District Council	Tanzania	Cooperation partner
Oloipiri Village	Tanzania	Cooperation partner
Orkuyene Village	Tanzania	Cooperation partner
Lopolun Village	Tanzania	Cooperation partner
Oloirien Village	Tanzania	Cooperation partner
Oldonyowas Village	Tanzania	Cooperation partner
Naona Maasai Tours Ltd	Tanzania	Cooperation partner
Tanzania National Parks	Tanzania	Cooperation partner
WWF Tanzania	Tanzania	Cooperation partner
Maasai Mara Wildlife Conservancies Organization (MMWCA)	Kenya	Cooperation partner
Narok County Government	Kenya	Cooperation partner
South Rift Association of Land Owners	Kenya	Cooperation partner
Cambio Rural Entre Ríos	Argentina	Cooperation partner
Cambio Rural Buenos Aires	Argentina	Cooperation partner
Aves Argentinas	Argentina	Cooperation partner
Cooperativa Agropecuaria La Paz	Argentina	Cooperation partner