Violencia letal contra líderes y lideresas de PD

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More than 20 years after graduating with a Bachelor degree in Environmental Science from the Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK,and nearly 10 years after completing my MSc in Transnational Ecosystem Based Water Management at Radboud University and the University of Duisburg Essen, I am defending my doctoral thesis in the Netherlands. It’s taken a while, and I’ve been diverted by various other challenges along the way, not least by a short career in the UK’s National Health Service working as a nurse in coronary care. But here I am, and I wouldn’t be standing here if it weren’t for the help of some important people.

First and foremost, I’d like to thank my promoters and co-promoters who have consistently supported me throughout the production of this thesis. Their indestructible positivity, optimism and enthusiasm led to solutions to what I often thought were insurmountable problems.

My promoter Rob Leuven provided consistent support and guidance which began during a placement in the Department of Environmental Science in 2009, and was sustained right up to the completion of the thesis. I have huge respect for his analytical and critical skills, intellect, passion for science and approach to team-working. Unfortunately, I didn’t receive funding that could have led to a continuous four year contract for the research done here. Instead a number of individual contracts were funded by a series of individual projects, each won by Rob. Each time a new project was won, Rob committed to creating a new contract or extending an existing one so that I could continue on the path that has led me to where I am today. Rob is also very modest. During a speech that celebrated him receiving a professorship, Rob gave credit to virtually every other member of the permanent staff in the Department of Environmental Science apart from himself for his achievement! When I asked him why he hadn’t taken just a little bit of credit for his professorship he replied ‘zo ben ik niet’ or ‘that’s just not me’.

My co-promotor Gerard van der Velde and promoter Jan Hendriks have provided continued advice and support during this process. Gerard’s critical thinking and consideration of different perspectives always added polish to the finished product, whether it was an article or a report. His superior taxonomic knowledge was a vital addition to many of the projects we undertook. Officially Gerard is retired, but whoever said that retirement should lead to the end of a remarkable scientific career? Since retirement Gerard has decided not to ‘sit behind the geraniums’, an English translation of a Dutch phrase that means taking it easy, but has continued his scientific efforts. Rather than sitting behind the geraniums, I imagine that Gerard would rather study them and publish the results in a renowned scientific journal! I am also grateful to Jan Hendriks who set me on this scientific pathway by supervising the publication of my first article, and provided valuable support during a work placement when things got difficult. His application of Socratic questioning always

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Then there are my other colleagues from the Institute for Water and Wetland Research (IWWR) who I’ve worked with on various project and articles on alien species. Aafke Schipper provided important guidance particularly during the writing of chapter 6. Her detailed experimental knowledge with regards to the analysis of metal transfer in food webs was vital to the success of this publication. Lisette de Hoop, Frank Collas and Kevin (Remon) Koopman, always provided useful comments and additional information. The discussions, swapping of ideas and constructive criticism only improved the results of my work, and I wish you all lots of luck in your future professional careers. Chapter 5 and 6 involved the identification of aquatic macroinvertebrate species and analysis of metal concentrations in their tissues. At the time, I didn’t have much experience in this type of laboratory work, so the assistance received from the lab technicians Germa Verheggen, Marij Orbons and Jelle Eygensteyn was gratefully received. Many other persons and organisations made valuable contributions to the projects on which much of this thesis is based, including the members of the Netherlands Centre of Expertise on Exotic Species (NEC-E), the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) and the Zuiderzeeland Regional Water Authority. If not mentioned in these acknowledgements, contributors are thanked at the end of each thesis chapter.

A big ‘thank you’ goes to all the permanent and temporary staff of the Department of Environmental Science, both past and present, for the lively discussions and positive atmosphere. Specifically thanks to Laura, Daan, Anastasia, Alessandra, Ligia, Rik, Thomas, Ana and Zoran for the fun times, PhD dinners, and adventures. You provided me with a welcome distraction from the challenges of living away from home and integrating into a foreign culture (and showed me that board games really are not my strong point!). I’m also really pleased that Rik and Ana are both able to take on the role of para-nymph during my defence, thanks guys.

Friendships are important and since moving to the Netherlands I have made many new ones, and cemented existing ones. These friendships have helped enormously when I needed to let of some steam and share the tough challenges that I faced not only from academic work, but also from settling in a new and unfamiliar country. So, thank you to Robert and Maikel, Frans, Heiko and all the members of Cantus Obliquus, Simone and Edwin, Petra and Paul for all the good times.

To my family in the UK, this thesis is for you. We’ve been through some tough times recently but, despite these, we’ve stuck together. If there’s anything I’ve learnt over the past years it’s that nothing stays the same! Thanks also go to my family in law in the Netherlands for all the support they’ve given since we arrived in the Netherlands in 2006:

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‘Bedankt voor jullie steun’. Last but not least, thank you to Sander, my partner of over 17 years, who has stood by me during all the ups and downs that life has thrown at us. Life keeps getting better, long may it continue!