Chapter II
The Challenge
The Challenge, that has been posed to us by our stakeholder the Green Office, is to improve the living conditions of five currently under-represented water-based "Key Species" to increase the biodiversity in Utrecht Science Park.
These species have been identified by the UU Green Office as the water-inhabiting ‘Key Species’ - endogenous to the area of Utrecht and representatives of the local water flora and fauna which the Green Office aims to recultivate in the area of Science Park. The goal is to make the living conditions for those species appropriate enough to encourage them to come back to Science Park, where they used to live in the past - that is - before the inappropriate environmental conditions forced them to change their habitat. It is believed that the return of those ‘Key Species’ to Science Park will signify a return of numerous other species endogenous to this area.
The Species
Grass snake (Natrix Natrix)
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Residence: grasslands and riverbanks with abundant vegetation, sandy and peat soil.
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Predators: Badgers, hedgehogs, foxes, owls.
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Hunting: toads, small mammals, newts, birds, fish (hunts in water).
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Reproduction: Needs a warm place for egg laying (piles of animal discharge), June-July, hatching for 10 weeks.
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Influence of toxins: Water quality not that significant.
Northern crested newt (Triturus cristatus)
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Residence: Still or low current water, ponds, ditches. Needs high oxygen in water, abundant vegetation, sandy soil, mud.
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Predators: Grass snake, badgers, storks, shrews, fish and dragon flies eat larvae.
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Hunting: Larvae of other species, insects, snails, fish.
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Reproduction: In the aquatic phase, beginning April, larvae hatch after 2-5 weeks.
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Influence of toxins: Larvae particularly sensitive, but chemical levels may be secondary behind the optimised hiding place for larvae survival. pH should be above 5 and nitrates and phosphate levels not excessive.
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Scarce chaser (Libellula fulva)
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Residence: Floodplains, marshes, large dykes. Requires dense, abundant vegetation, muddy riverbed, fly May-August.
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Predators: Birds.
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Hunting: Larvae in water.
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Reproduction: Eggs deposited in low current streams, larvae develop underwater for 2 years.
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Influence of toxins: Nitrates and phosphates are damaging, but the worst problem is deoxygenation.
European weatherfish (Misgurnus fossilis)
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Residence: Shallow still waters with 10-30 cm thick layer of mud and abundant aquatic plants. Water needs to warm up sufficiently for the reproduction.
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Predators: Other larvae eating fish.
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Hunting: Larvae, small snails, mussels.
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Reproduction: Juveniles reside in shallow water close to banks at warm temperatures.
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Influence of toxins: Removal of aquatic life due to toxins in water is the most damaging.
Shining pondweed (Potamogeton lucens)
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Residence: Prefers 1-2 m deep water, but can live in shallow as well. Slow flowing current next to peat soil.
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In the Netherlands it competes for space with invasive species.
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Influence of toxins: Nitrogen and phosphorus cause algal blooms that prevent sunlight reaching the plant and toxicity in water destroying the surrounding habitat.
Redefining the Challenge
Although our initial challenge was to improve general living conditions for the five key species to enable them to return to USP, we decided that some stricter defining was needed. After multiple interviews with people responsible for biodiversity policies at UU, we realised that some, mostly high-cost, large-scale projects are already being planned. For instance, specially designed ponds are in development to ensure easy access to water for some of the targeted species. The UU Green Office is also envisioning to connect the areas outside USP, where the species have been observed, such as Oostbroek and Rhijnauwen. Our focus therefore shifted towards more small-scale improvements in the area of USP. But the main point of our project has become another vital living condition common to all targeted species: water quality.
The UU Green Office agrees that research on the topic of water quality in UU Science Park is the corner stone for any further improvements in the environment for the five key species. Due to its indisputable importance, our redefined challenge has thus taken the form of attempting to examine the water quality in USP and find the ways of improving it in order to enable the targeted species to return to USP.