Dr. Nienke van der Burgt

Nienke van der Burgt is a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Ghent since June 2023, where she is involved in the TRANSNATURE project on transboundary biodiversity protection under the supervision of Prof. Hendrik Schoukens. Through a comparison of four selected cases, the project examines how transboundary biodiversity governance incorporates different stakeholders and the ways in which cooperative mechanisms among these actors can enhance biodiversity conservation. Ghent University focuses on the Flemish-Dutch Scheldt estuary, and in this context also looks at the role of case law and how legal instruments, such as the Nature Restoration Regulation, can contribute to transboundary biodiversity protection.

Before, she spent 15 years as a legal adviser at a law and policy consultancy in Brussels, where she worked on projects across various fields, including environmental law.

Since 2016, Nienke also works as an international legal consultant on environment and fisheries related projects. She currently works for the IMO/FAO Glolitter Partnership, drafting implementation guidelines and providing technical support to participating countries in implementing the Voluntary Guidelines on the Marking of Fishing Gear. Other examples are reforming laws on hunting and wild fauna protection (UNDP Albania), the development of a National Policy for Environmentally Sensitive Areas (UNDP, Sri Lanka), and the drafting of fisheries legislation (FAO, Suriname, Grenada).

In 2010, she completed her PhD on the contribution of international fisheries law to human development (VU University, Amsterdam). This research analyzed multilateral and ACP-EU fisheries instruments to assess the extent to which they reflect key principles such as equity, poverty eradication, and participation.