Govers, prof. Laura
Laura Govers is a marine ecologist who focuses on coastal ecosystem functioning, seagrass biology, conservation ecology, and biogeochemistry. After completing her Master’s degree in Marine Ecology, she pursued a PhD on the effects of biogeochemical stressors on seagrass ecosystems. Govers works on several projects, including the restoration of the Wadden Sea island of Griend and the study of long-distance interactions between habitats. She is also involved in Metawad, a project that focuses on coastal migratory birds and disseminating scientific research to the public.
Govers is leading the restoration of eelgrass meadows in the Wadden Sea, with striking results. On Griend, the eelgrass meadow has almost doubled in just one year. Although the plants are smaller, Griend’s eelgrass restoration is still the largest worldwide. Successful experiments on Ameland show that seeding on a larger scale is possible. This restoration is of great importance for water quality, carbon capture, and biodiversity in the Wadden Sea.
Previously in the news (mainly in Dutch)
Contact and further information
2025
Reijers,
V. C., van Rees, F., van der Heide, T., Oost, A. P.,
Ruessink, G., Koffijberg, K., Camphuysen, K. C. J., Penning,
E., Hijner, N., & Govers, L.
L. (2025). Corrigendum to “Birds influence
vegetation coverage and structure on sandy biogeomorphic islands in
the Dutch Wadden Sea” [Sci. Total Environ. 950 (2024)
175254]. Science of the Total
Environment, 987, Article 179840. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179840
Wedding,
L. M., Stuart, C. E., Govers, L. L., Lilley, R.
J., Olds, A., Preston, J., Tavasi, L. E., & Pittman, S.
J. (2025). Five ways seascape ecology can help to achieve
marine restoration goals. Landscape
Ecology, 40, Article 115. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-025-02099-9
Meijer,
K., Franken, O., Witte, S.,
Holthuijsen, S. J., van der Heide, T., Govers,
L., & Olff, H. (2025). Hotspots in
peril: Misalignment of conservation efforts and ecological values
in a shallow coastal sea. People and
Nature, 7(1), 160-179. https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10757
Watson,
M., Dickson, J., Franken,
O., Govers, L., van der Heide,
T., Witte, S., & Eriksson, B.
K. (2025). Introduced substrates trigger colonization
by reef-associated fish in a degraded coastal system.
PLoS ONE, 20(1), Article e0317431.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0317431
Sloots,
M., Franken, O., van der Heide,
T., Govers, L., & Olff, H.
(2025). Marine benthic community assembly is taxonomically
stochastic but functionally deterministic in a dynamic coastal
sea. Ecology Letters, 28(10),
Article e70228. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.70228
Coals,
L., Jones, B. L. H., Evans, A. J., Unsworth, R. K. F., Callahan,
L., Coleman, R. A., Govers, L. L.,
Gräfnings, M. L. E., Jackson, E. L., & Sherman, C.
D. H. (2025). Matching planting methods to species and site
conditions is key in seed-based intertidal seagrass
restoration. Marine Pollution
Bulletin, 217, Article 118123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2025.118123
Marin-Diaz,
B., Reijers, V. C., Meijer, L., van der Wal, D., Olff,
H., Bouma, T. J., & Govers, L.
L. (2025). Quantifying soil resistance to sheet and
lateral erosion across different habitats on a managed sandy
back-barrier island. Journal of Geophysical
Research: Earth Surface, 130(6), Article
e2024JF007950. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JF007950
Leurs,
G., Jabado, R. W., Camará, A., Dos Santos, L., Nonque,
D. M., Zuidewind, T. J., Barry, I., Campredon, P., Blaschke,
B., de Boer, K., Hijner, N., Olff,
H., Pontes, S. L., Regalla, A., Walsh, M. B., &
Govers, L. (2025). Reconstructing historical catch
trends of threatened sharks and rays based on fisher ecological
knowledge. Conservation Biology.
Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.70059
Unsworth,
R. K. F., Sweet, M., Govers, L., von der Heyden, S.,
Vergés, A., Friess, D., Jones, B. L. H., Monfared, M. A. A.,
Steinfurth, R. C., Fariñas-Franco, J. M., Cullen-Unsworth, L.
C., Banke, T. L., Tomas, F., Lusk, B. W., Mendzil, A., Debney, A.
J., Sanderson, W. G., Thomsen, E., Preston, J., ... Paul, M.
(2025). Rethinking marine restoration permitting to urgently
advance efforts. Cell Reports
Sustainability. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crsus.2025.100526
Witte,
E. S., Franken, O., Temmink, R. J. M.,
Dickson, J., de Wit, B., Roohi, R., Martinez-Garcia, P.,
Heusinkveld, J., Holthuijsen, S. J., Meijer, K.
J., Olff, H., Govers, L. L.,
& van der Heide, T. (2025). Structural complexity
of hard substrates shapes shallow marine benthic
communities. Oikos, 2025(8),
Article e11080. https://doi.org/10.1002/oik.11080
Happe,
A., Meijer, K. J., Dajka, J.-C., Franken,
O., Haslob, H., Govers, L. L., Kleyer,
M., Kok, A. C. M., Kuczynski, L., Lõhmus,
K., van der Meij, S. E. T., Olff, H.,
Rönn, L., Ryabov, A., Sell, A. F., Thieltges, D.
W., Eriksson, B. K., & Hillebrand, H.
(2025). Synthesis of population trends reveals seascape-wide
reorganisation of biodiversity from microalgae to birds.
Global Change Biology, 31(6),
Article e70298. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.70298
Hübner,
L., Leurs, G., Bruil, L., Grimm,
IA., Diaz, JA. V., Dilrosun, FF., Mercelina, F.,
Meijer, KJ., McClenachan, L., de Boer, KM.,
Vermeij, MJ. A., & Govers, LL. (2025).
Unseen experts of the sea: Fishers' local ecological
knowledge reveals elasmobranch hotspot decline around Curaçao,
Dutch Caribbean. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and
Freshwater Ecosystems, 35(6), Article e70159.
https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.70159
Laukaityte,
S., Bishop, M. J., Govers, L. L., &
Eriksson, B. D. H. K. (2025). Warming alters
non-trophic interactions in soft bottom habitats.
Oecologia, 207(2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-025-05662-y
2024
Volpe,
J. P., Higgs, E. S., Jeschke, J. M., Barnhill, K., Brunk, C.,
Dudney, J., Govers, L. L., Hobbs, R. J., Keenleyside,
K., Murphy, S. D., Seddon, P. J., Sudweeks, J., Telhan, O., &
Voicescu, S. (2024). Bionovelty and ecological
restoration. Restoration Ecology,
32(5), Article e14152. https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.14152
Nauta,
J., Leurs, G., Nieuwenhuis, B. O., Mathijssen,
D. R. A. H., Olff, H., Bouma, T. J., van
der Wal, D., Hijner, N., Regalla, A., Pontes, S.
L., & Govers, L. L. (2024). Bioturbation by
benthic stingrays alters the biogeomorphology of tidal
flats. Ecosystems, 27,
493-507. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-024-00901-4
Reijers,
V. C., van Rees, F., van der Heide, T., Oost, A. P.,
Ruessink, G., Koffijberg, K., Camphuysen, K. C. J., Penning,
E., Hijner, N., & Govers, L.
L. (2024). Birds influence vegetation coverage and
structure on sandy biogeomorphic islands in the Dutch Wadden
Sea. Science of the Total Environment,
950, Article 175254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175254
Witte,
S., Dickson, J., Franken, O.,
Holthuijsen, S., Govers, L., Olff,
H., & van der Heide, T. (2024).
Enhancing ecological complexity in soft-bottom coastal
ecosystems: the impact of introducing hard substrates.
Restoration Ecology, 32(4), Article
e14126. https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.14126
Gräfnings,
M., Hijner, N., Heusinkveld, J. H. T., Zwarts,
M., Maldonado, G., Wiersema, H., Cammenga, R., Smeele,
Q., van der Heide, T., & Govers, L.
(2024). Exploring the potential of seed-based dwarf eelgrass
(Zostera noltii) restoration. Aquatic
Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems,
34(9), Article e4235. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.4235
van
Bemmelen, R. S. A., Duijns, S., Govers, L. L., &
Fijn, R. C. (2024). Habitat use across the tidal cycle by
black-headed gulls breeding in the Wadden Sea.
Journal of Ornithology, 165(1),
69-79. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-023-02097-1
Lowell,
A., Hill, C. E. L., Dupont, S., Infantes, E., Ramesh, K., Peterson,
B., Govers, L. L., & Cox, T. E. (2024). Low
pH enhances germination of eelgrass (Zostera marina L.)
seeds despite ubiquitous presence of Phytophthora
gemini. Aquatic Botany,
195, Article 103805. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquabot.2024.103805
Nauta,
J., Meijer, K. J., de Groot, L. W., Reijers, V.
C., Bouma, T. J., van der Wal, D., Olff,
H., Holthuijsen, S. J., Bijleveld, A. I., van
der Veer, H. W., Franken, O., & Govers, L.
L. (2024). Mutual facilitation between foundation
species Mytilus edulis and Lanice conchilega promotes
habitat heterogeneity on tidal flats. Frontiers in
Marine Science, 11, Article 1354009. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2024.1354009
Nordlund,
L. M., Unsworth, R. K. F., Wallner-Hahn, S., Ratnarajah, L.,
Beca-Carretero, P., Boikova, E., Bull, J. C., Chefaoui, R. M., de
los Santos, C. B., Gagnon, K., Garmendia, J. M., Gizzi, F.,
Govers, L. L., Gustafsson, C., Hineva, E., Infantes, E.,
Canning-Clode, J., Jahnke, M., Kleitou, P., ... Wilkes, R. (2024).
One hundred priority questions for advancing seagrass
conservation in Europe. Plants People
Planet, 6(3), 587-603. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10486
Leurs,
G., Walsh, M. B., Haque, A. B., Collins, C., Glaus, K.,
Kizhakudan, S. J., Menon, M., Muttaqin, E., Simeon, B.,
Tovar-Ávila, J., Govers, L. L., Walker, P. A.,
& Friedman, K. J. (2024). Opportunities and challenges in
value chain analysis for sustainable management of sharks and
rays. Marine Policy, 163,
Article 106121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2024.106121
Rehlmeyer,
K., Franken, O., van der Heide,
T., Holthuijsen, S. J., Meijer, K. J.,
Olff, H., Lengkeek, W., Didderen, K., & Govers, L.
L. (2024). Reintroduction of self-facilitating
feedbacks could advance subtidal eelgrass (Zostera marina)
restoration in the Dutch Wadden Sea. Frontiers in
Marine Science, 11, Article 1253067. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2024.1253067
Gräfnings,
M. L. E., Grimm, I., Valdez, S. R., Findji, I., van
der Heide, T., Heusinkveld, J. H. T., Meijer, K.
J., Eriksson, B. K., Smeele, Q., &
Govers, L. L. (2024). Restored intertidal eelgrass
(Z. marina) supports benthic communities taxonomically and
functionally similar to natural seagrasses in the Wadden
Sea. Frontiers in Marine Science,
10, Article 1294845. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.1294845
2023
Leurs,
G., Verkuil, Y. I., Hijner, N., Saalmann, F.,
Dos Santos, L., Regalla, A., Ledo Pontes, S., Yang, L., Naylor, G.
J. P., Olff, H., & Govers, L. L.
(2023). Addressing data-deficiency of threatened sharks and
rays in a highly dynamic coastal ecosystem using environmental
DNA. Ecological indicators,
154, Article 110795. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2023.110795
de
Fouw, J., Holmer, M., Beca-Carretero, P., Boström, C., Brice,
J., Brun, F. G., Cruijsen, P. M. J. M., Govers, L. L.,
Garmendia, J. M., Meysick, L., Pajusalu, L., Richir, J., Robroek,
B., Valle, M., van der Ven, P., Eklöf, J. S., & van
der Heide, T. (2023). A facultative mutualism
facilitates European seagrass meadows.
Ecography, 2023(5), Article e06636.
https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.06636
Nauta,
J., Christianen, M. J. A., Temmink, R. J. M., Fivash,
G. S., Marin-Diaz, B., Reijers, V. C.,
Didderen, K., Penning, E., Borst, A. C. W.,
Heusinkveld, J. H. T., Zwarts, M., Cruijsen, P. M. J. M.,
Hijner, N., Lengkeek, W., Lamers, L. P. M., van der
Heide, T., Bouma, T. J., van der Wal, D.,
Olff, H., & Govers, L. L. (2023).
Biodegradable artificial reefs enhance food web complexity
and biodiversity in an intertidal soft-sediment ecosystem.
Journal of Applied Ecology, 60(3),
541-552. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14348
Tan,
Y. M., Coleman, R. A., Biro, P. A., Dalby, O., Jackson, E.
L., Govers, L. L., Heusinkveld, J. H. T., Macreadie,
P. I., Flindt, M. R., Dewhurst, J., & Sherman, C. D. H. (2023).
Developing seed- and shoot-based restoration approaches for
the seagrass, Zostera muelleri. Restoration
Ecology, 31(5), Article e13902. https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.13902
El-Hacen,
H., Lemrabott, S. Y., Meijer,
K., Piersma, T., Govers, L.,
van Gils, J., & Olff, H. (2023).
Growth and population structure of bloody cockles Senilia
senilis at Banc d’Arguin and Bijagós with different
environmental conditions and harvesting regimes.
Marine Ecology Progress Series, 710,
71-83. Article M 14291. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14291
Nauta,
J., Lammers, C., Lexmond, R., Christianen, M.
J. A., Borst, A., Lamers, L. P. M., van Lavieren, H., Naipal,
S., & Govers, L. L. (2023). Habitat
complexity drives food web structure along a dynamic mangrove
coast. Marine Pollution Bulletin,
196, Article 115597. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115597
Gräfnings,
M. L. E., Govers, L. L., Heusinkveld, J. H. T.,
Silliman, B. R., Smeele, Q., Valdez, S. R., & van der
Heide, T. (2023). Macrozoobenthos as an indicator of
habitat suitability for intertidal seagrass.
Ecological indicators, 147, Article
109948. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2023.109948
Gräfnings,
M. L. E., Heusinkveld, J. H. T., Hoeijmakers, D. J. J.,
Smeele, Q., Wiersema, H., Zwarts, M., van der Heide,
T., & Govers, L. L. (2023).
Optimizing seed injection as a seagrass restoration
method. Restoration Ecology,
31(3), Article e13851. https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.13851
Kwakernaak,
C., Hoeijmakers, D. J. J., Zwarts, M. P. A., Bijleveld, A.
I., Holthuijsen, S., de Jong, D. J., & Govers, L.
L. (2023). Ragworms (Hediste diversicolor)
limit eelgrass (Zostera marina) seedling settlement:
Implications for seed-based restoration. Journal
of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology,
560, Article 151853. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2022.151853
Gräfnings,
M. L. E., Heusinkveld, J. H. T., Hijner, N.,
Hoeijmakers, D. J. J., Smeele, Q., Zwarts, M., van der Heide,
T., & Govers, L. L. (2023). Spatial
design improves efficiency and scalability of seed-based seagrass
restoration. Journal of Applied
Ecology, 60(6), 967-977. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14405
Meijer,
K. J., Bosco Gusmao, J., Bruil, L.,
Franken, O., Grimm, I., van der Heide,
T., Hijner, N., Holthuijsen, S., Hübner,
L., Thieltges, D. W., Olff, H.,
Eriksson, B. K., & Govers, L. L. (2023).
The seafloor from a trait perspective: A comprehensive life
history dataset of soft sediment macrozoobenthos.
Scientific Data, 10(1), Article 808.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-023-02728-5
Eriksson,
B. K., Eklöf, J. S., Govers, L., &
Bergström, U. (2023). Trophic cascades in coastal
ecosystems. In D. Baird, & M. Elliott (Eds.),
Treatise on Estuarine and Coastal Science (2nd ed., pp.
5-49). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-90798-9.00006-8
Marin-Diaz,
B., van der Wal, D., Kaptein, L., Martinez-Garcia, P.,
Lashley, C. H., de Jong, K., Nieuwenhuis, J. W., Govers, L.
L., Olff, H., & Bouma, T. J.
(2023). Using salt marshes for coastal protection: Effective
but hard to get where needed most. Journal of
Applied Ecology, 60(7), 1286-1301. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14413
Leurs,
G., Nieuwenhuis, B. O., Zuidewind, T. J., Hijner,
N., Olff, H., & Govers, L. L.
(2023). Where land meets sea: Intertidal areas as
key-habitats for sharks and rays. Fish and
Fisheries, 24(3), 407-426. https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.12735
Dickson,
J., Franken, O., Watson, M. S.,
Monnich, B., Holthuijsen, S., Eriksson, B. K.,
Govers, L. L., van der Heide, T., &
Bouma, T. J. (2023). Who lives in a pear tree under
the sea? A first look at tree reefs as a complex natural
biodegradable structure to enhance biodiversity in marine
systems. Frontiers in Marine Science,
10, Article 1213790. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.1213790
2022
Meijer,
K. J., Franken, O., van der Heide,
T., Holthuijsen, S. J., Visser, W., Govers,
L., & Olff, H. (2023). Characterizing
bedforms in shallow seas as an integrative predictor of seafloor
stability and the occurrence of macrozoobenthic species.
Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation,
9(3), 323-339. https://doi.org/10.1002/rse2.312
Govers,
L. L., Heusinkveld, J. H. T., Gräfnings, M. L.
E., Smeele, Q., & van der Heide, T. (2022).
Adaptive intertidal seed-based seagrass restoration in the
Dutch Wadden Sea. PLoS ONE,
17(2), Article e0262845. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0262845
Bosco
Gusmao, J., Thieltges, D. W., Dekker, R.,
Govers, L. L., Meijer, K. J., &
Klemens Eriksson, B. (2022). Comparing taxonomic and
functional trait diversity in marine macrozoobenthos along sediment
texture gradients. Ecological
indicators, 145, Article 109718. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.109718
Sullivan,
B. K., Keough, M., & Govers, L. L. (2022).
Copper sulphate treatment induces Heterozostera seed
germination and improves seedling growth rates.
Global Ecology and Conservation, 35,
Article e02079. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02079
Clements,
O. N., Leurs, G., Witbaard, R., Pen, I.,
Verkuil, Y. I., & Govers, L. L. (2022).
Growth, maturity, and diet of the pearl whipray
(Fontitrygon margaritella) from the Bijagós
Archipelago, Guinea-Bissau. PeerJ,
10, Article e12894. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.12894
Colina
Alonso, A., van Maren, D. S., Herman, P. M. J., van Weerdenburg, R.
J. A., Huismans, Y., Holthuijsen, S. J., Govers, L.
L., Bijleveld, A. I., & Wang, Z. B. (2022).
The Existence and Origin of Multiple Equilibria in Sand-Mud
Sediment Beds. Geophysical research
letters, 49(22), Article e2022GL101141. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL101141
Marin-Diaz,
B., Govers, L. L., van der Wal, D., Olff,
H., & Bouma, T. J. (2022). The
importance of marshes providing soil stabilization to resist
fast-flow erosion in case of a dike breach.
Ecological Applications, 32(6),
Article e2622. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2622
2021
Temmink,
R. J. M., Fivash, G. S., Govers, L.
L., Nauta, J., Marin-Diaz, B.,
Cruijsen, P. M. J. M., Didderen, K., Penning,
E., Olff, H., Heusinkveld, J. H. T., Lamers, L.
P. M., Lengkeek, W., Christianen, M. J. A., Reijers, V. C.,
Bouma, T. J., & van der Heide, T. (2022).
Initiating and upscaling mussel reef establishment with life
cycle informed restoration: Successes and future challenges.
Ecological engineering, 175, Article
106496. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2021.106496
Penning,
E., Govers, L., Dekker, R., &
Piersma, T. (2021). Advancing presence and changes in
body size of brown shrimp Crangon crangon on intertidal
flats in the western Dutch Wadden Sea, 1984–2018.
Marine Biology, 168(11), Article
160. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-021-03967-z
van
der Reijden, K. J., Govers, L. L., Koop, L.,
Damveld, J. H., Herman, P. M. J., Mestdagh, S., Piet, G.,
Rijnsdorp, A. D., Dinesen, G. E., Snellen, M., & Olff,
H. (2021). Beyond connecting the dots: A multi-scale,
multi-resolution approach to marine habitat mapping.
Ecological indicators, 128, Article
107849. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.107849
van
der Reijden, K., Koop, L., Mestdagh, S., Snellen, M.,
Herman, P. M., Olff, H., & Govers, L.
L. (2021). Conservation implications of Sabellaria
spinulosa reef patches in a dynamic sandy-bottom
environment. Frontiers in Marine
Science, 8, Article 642659. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.642659
Fijn,
R. C., Govers, L. L., Lutterop, D., Middelveld, R. P.,
& Van Bemmelen, R. S. A. (2021). Evidence of nocturnal
migration over sea and sex-specific migration distance of Dutch
Black-headed Gulls. Polish Journal of
Ecology, 69(3-4), 15-29. https://doi.org/10.5253/arde.v110i1.a8
Govers,
L., & Reijers, V. C. (2021). Griend: Een
bewogen eiland. KNNV Uitgeverij. https://knnvuitgeverij.nl/artikel/griend.html
Govers,
L., Reijers, V., Smeele, Q., Olff, H.,
van der Zee, E., Temmink, R., Marin Diaz,
B., Fivash, G., Nauta, J.,
& van der Heide, T. (2021).
Habitat-overstijgende interacties in het
Waddengebied. VBNE, Vereniging van Bos- en
Natuurterreineigenaren. https://www.natuurkennis.nl/Uploaded_files/Publicaties/obn-2016-77-dk-eindrapportage.pdf
Marin-Diaz,
B., Govers, L. L., van der Wal, D., Olff,
H., & Bouma, T. J. (2021). How
grazing management can maximize erosion resistance of salt
marshes. Journal of Applied Ecology,
58(7), 1533-1544. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13888
Gagnon,
K., Christie, H., Didderen, K., Fagerli, C. W., Govers, L.
L., Gräfnings, M. L. E., Heusinkveld, J.
H. T., Kaljurand, K., Lengkeek, W., Martin, G., Meysick, L.,
Pajusalu, L., Rinde, E., van der Heide, T., &
Boström, C. (2021). Incorporating facilitative
interactions into small-scale eelgrass restoration: Challenges and
opportunities. Restoration Ecology,
29(5), Article e13398. https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.13398
Leurs,
G., van der Reijden, K. J., Lemrabott, S.
Y., Barry, I., Nonque, D. M., Olff, H., Ledo
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