Remment ter Hofstede

Profile

Remment ter Hofstede is a marine ecologist and has worked over 20 years as a researcher to facilitate integrated management of the marine environment.

After his graduation at the University of Groningen in 1999, he has extensively studied the effects of climate change and human pressures on coastal systems at Wageningen University & Research. He joined the international marine contractor Van Oord DMC in 2014, where he applies innovative nature-based solutions for infrastructural development, to improve coastal resilience across the world.

In 2020 he started a parttime PhD at Hydraulic Engineering to investigate how offshore wind farms can foster rehabilitation of oyster reefs in the North Sea.

Research

The PhD research is part of the NWO-TTW Project North Sea Reef Vitalization For Ecosystem Services (ReViFES), which focuses on “paving the way for a novel “profitable nature-based reefscape” concept that enables restoration of ecological valuable North Sea reefs, while simultaneously providing a scientific base for sustainable aquaculture and fisheries in its surroundings.”

The European flat oyster is selected as a key reef-building species within the ReViFES Project. It was marked as a potential target species in a number of previous investigative studies triggered by offshore wind developments. The project aims to contribute to the initiation of flat oyster reef development in the offshore environment, contribution to nature values and to facilitate sustainable oyster harvesting in the future.