Aldert van Weeren
Natural Sponges Coordinator
[email protected] / 0049 163 7712972
I joined Wetlands International Europe in 2023 as our Natural Sponges Coordinator. I am based in the Eifel region of Germany where I will lead our work to establish a pilot site to demonstrate the effectiveness of natural sponges.
I bring a lot of passion and experience to the position – my village and home were flooded in the catastrophic flood in July 2021 so I know firsthand the need for natural sponges in the upper catchments where some of the major European rivers begin.
I am also active in peatlands rewetting and paludiculture, farming Typha on a wetland, and collaborating frequently with our member Michael Succow Foundation. I am educated in landscaping and I was born on an island so water runs through my veins!