Portrait photo of Thomas Van Schaik

Thomas Van Schaik

PhD Candidate, Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies
E-mail
thomas.van.schaik@slu.se
Mobile phone
+31620323445
Wildlife ecologist that focuses on applying novel research techniques to answer ecological questions, particularly in the realms of restoration ecology, community ecology, and ecoacoustics.

Research

For my doctoral research project, I am looking into the effects of forest restoration on bird and bat communities. At the stand level, we are interested in learning how bird and bat activity, (functional) diversity, and community assemblage is affected by restoration efforts aimed at enhancing the availability of deadwood and increasing the share of broadleaf trees in forest stands by removing coniferous trees - a process we call broadleafification. Through a collaboration with Sveaskog in the Ecopark Project, we are studying these effects in four ecoparks across Sweden.

Educational credentials

PhD Candidate, SLU Umeå, 2025 - now

MSc in Environmental Biology, Utrecht University, 2022 - 2024

BSc in Biology, Utrecht University, 2018 - 2022

Keywords

  • Restoration Ecology
  • Community Ecology
  • Ecoacoustics

Publications

van Schaik, T., van KUIJK, M., & Sterck, E. H. (2025). Understanding mesopredator responses to changes in apex predator populations in Europe: implications for the mesopredator release hypothesis. Mammal Review, 55(1), e12357.

Links