Niels de Zwarte

Rotterdam

Niels de Zwarte is the head of Bureau Stadsnatuur (Urban Ecology Research Department) and deputy director of the Natural History Museum Rotterdam. He is an ecological consultant involved in a wide range of projects for governments and companies in the Netherlands, focusing on urban biodiversity monitoring and advising on spatial planning, nature-inclusive management, and policy. He regularly publishes articles and gives lectures and guest lectures on urban ecology. He is also the author of three books on urban nature and nature-inclusive design in buildings and cities. Bureau Stadsnatuur currently consists of 10 urban ecologists working in the most urbanized and industrial part of the Netherlands. To monitor ecological trends, nature monitoring networks have been developed for the city and, for example, the port of Rotterdam. The books written on urban nature include Making Urban Nature (2017) and Building Urban Nature (2023). The booklet Stadsnatuur – vergroening verrijkt is unfortunately only available in Dutch.