History
Our history...
Waardenburg Ecology was founded in December 1979 by Hans Waardenburg under the name Bureau Waardenburg. As a student between 1970-1972, Hans was closely involved in the development of the Oosterschelde storm surge barrier in the south of the Netherlands. As a marine biologist, Hans foresaw and filmed the looming ecological catastrophe that the planned closure of these waterways would cause in the Grevelingen. The company's first projects were surveys of the hard substrate and sub-benthos in the Oosterschelde, Grevelingen and the Veerse Meer, and the monitoring of oysters in the Grevelingen.
Growth and expansion
Hans soon found a partner in Ton van Beek. About 2 years after its establishment, Martien Meijer, an old student of Hans, joined the company. Martien has been a member of the board of directors since 1995, and since 2014 carries out this role together with Wouter Lengkeek and Eelco Waardenburg. In the early 1990s, sister company Deltamilieu, an employment agency for ecologists, was founded. Later, BWZ engineers, which has now become its own independent company, and BESE-products were founded.
Zeeland in the Netherlands has remained an important research area for Waardenburg Ecology. 'Het Zijpe' in Bruinisse has been owned by the company since the 1980s. Originally a waiting room and café for the local ferry, it was converted into a base for fieldwork in the delta and surrounding area. Since 1995, Waardenburg Ecology's main offices have been located in an historic mansion in the picturesque town of Culemborg in the centre of the country. A further location was opened in Nijmegen in 2020. As of 2022, we are now comprised of over 140 employees.
Zeeland in the Netherlands has remained an important research area for Waardenburg Ecology. 'Het Zijpe' in Bruinisse has been owned by the company since the 1980s. Originally a waiting room and café for the local ferry, it was converted into a base for fieldwork in the delta and surrounding area. Since 1995, Waardenburg Ecology's main offices have been located in an historic mansion in the picturesque town of Culemborg in the centre of the country. A further location was opened in Nijmegen in 2020. As of 2022, we are now comprised of over 140 employees.
10-year celebration in 1989
Acquisition of Koeman en Bijkerk
The Dutch company Koeman en Bijkerk bv was founded in 1994 by Reinoud Koeman and Ronald Bijkerk. It was the first commercial ecological consultancy with a quality assurance system based on ISO 9001 and later NEN EN 17025:2005. In 2017, it became part of Waardenburg Ecology under the name 'location Haren (Gn)' and has since grown from 13 employees (2017) to 22 (2023).
Photo of Koeman en Bijkerk in 2008