Spotted: wildlife at Utrecht Science Park
Foxes, badgers and squirrels: there is more nature to be found at Utrecht Science Park than you might think. Researchers Marijke van Kuijk Yannick Wiegers are mapping wildlife at the Science Park using twenty cameras hidden in the bushes.
'You might not expect it with all the buildings, but there is a surprising amount of nature to be found at the Science Park,' says Marijke van Kuijk, associate professor of Tropical Forest Ecology. Led by Marijke and PhD student Yannick Wiegers, a group of bachelor's students has been setting up twenty wildlife cameras every spring since 2020. The cameras are placed in bushes, spread across the Science Park and the Oostbroek Estate. This allows Marijke and Yannick to see which animals live there and whether they dare to make the transition between the Science Park and the estate.
The cameras have captured many animals: badgers, pine martens, stone martens, deer, mice, squirrels, birds and herons. Occasionally, a stray domestic cat or curious Labrador will also pass by. Many animals are more active at night, which is why there are also many night-time photos.
‘Sometimes you see something funny or unexpected,’ says Yannick. 'In one series of photos, you first see a hare and a few seconds later a fox.'
Marijke: ‘A few years ago, we suddenly saw a fawn behind the TNO building. Then you wonder: how did it get there? Was it lost, or perhaps rejected by the group?”
From tropical rainforest to Science Park
Much of Marijke and Yannick's other research takes place in tropical rainforests, such as in French Guiana. The situation there is somewhat different... Yannick: 'In the rainforest, you can hang a camera anywhere and no one will notice. In the Netherlands, it's different: every square metre is in use and you need permission for everything. But that's what makes it interesting. Here, you can see how animals adapt to buildings and people.'
Marijke: 'We mainly want to understand how animals move around the campus. That tells us something about the connection between the Science Park and the surrounding nature reserves. These insights can help us take measures to make the campus more attractive to other animal species. The ecological corridors that are currently being created are a good example of this.
Hotspot
The Veterinary Medicine area in particular is buzzing with life. ‘There are lots of sheltered spots with bushes where animals feel at home,’ says Yannick. ‘The more areas like that we can preserve or create, the better it is for biodiversity on campus.’
Who knows what the cameras will capture in the future. Marijke: ‘A wolf at Utrecht Science Park, that would be quite a discovery!’