Tim de Kruiff

My research is about climate-smart rewilding as a nature-based solution to the twin threats of climate change and biodiversity loss. As part of my PhD, I will try to estimate the societal value of rewilding by analyzing people’s choices and trade-offs regarding rewilding interventions.

Rewilding as a nature-based solution has great potential to contribute in our efforts to limit climate change and the biodiversity decline. Aligning with ambitions of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 aiming to restore significant areas of degraded ecosystems and the EU Climate Law to become climate neutral by 2050, rewilding can be an important tool for policy makers and individual organizations. Understanding the trade-offs and societal value of rewilding is essential to implement this approach in a manner that is effective and has broad public support.

The ability to work together with and learn from the different experts at IFRO, and the interdisciplinary nature of most of the work conducted at the institute, makes for a great learning environment. Being able to learn new things every day and getting the opportunity to drive my own learning interests, are things I am most excited about.

My personal drive is to make a difference in our understanding of the value of nature. Understanding people’s preferences and views on nature is essential to drive equitable growth forward. With nature and nature-based-solutions being drastically undervalued in many ways in our society, I believe that research on this topic can help change the role of nature in our society