Theunis Piersma (born 15 June 1958) is a Dutch ornithologist, ecologist, and educator. He is among the most influential ornithologists, particularly in the wader bird area, in the world. He specifically looks at waders and correlations between flock size and distribution, climate, food, predators, pathogens, and their historical-genetic background. RTV Drenthe referred to him in 2012 as the "first migratory bird professor in the world."
He is currently a professor and chair of the Global Flyway Ecology department at the University of Groningen and Senior Research Leader at Royal Netherlands Institute of Sea Research (NIOZ). He is also a Wadden biologist at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, where he works on sea conservation.
Education Piersma earned his BSc in biology and palaeontology in 1980; his biology MSc cum laude in 1984; and his PhD cum laude in biology in 1994, all from the University of Groningen. Piersma led his first research trip to Mauritania in 1980 as a student. His PhD advisor was animal ecologist Rudolf H. Drent. Following graduation, he moved to the NIOZ as a postdoc.
Career Research Among his many contributions to the scientific community are proof that a bird's maximum non-stop flight distance was more than double what it was originally known to be; examination of the phenotype and its relation to evolution; and the discovery that "migratory birds can change the structure of their bodies radically in order to adapt to the diverse conditions they encounter on their journeys." His research on the ecology of the Yellow Sea was a major influence in China refining environmental policy and increasing conservation efforts. Nature organizations in the Netherlands ended all mechanical cockle fishing in the Wadden Sea after his work at NIOZ proved it harmful. This was a particular achievement, as he has criticized the Netherlands for not working harder on conservation efforts.
As of 2020, Piersma has published more than 500 peer-reviewed articles and 14 books. Among his many funding sources, he received 2 NWO grants to research tools used for bird tracking in 2011, and 2 from National Geographic in 2014.
He is heavily involved in Wader's Study Groups and served as vice-chair of the International Wader Study Group for 15 years. He has also been the editor-in-chief of Ardea, a peer-reviewed ornithological journal, and helped found the Global Flyway Network to track birds nationwide. At University of Groningen, he was the animal ecology chair for 9 years before moving to the global flyway ecology department and serving as its chair. He appeared as the subject of De wereld is plat (The World is Flat), a 2007 Dutch documentary about his conservation work.
Work in Friesland Piersma helped found start the Station Fryslân 2018, a citizens' ecological organization dedicated to looking after Friesland's environment. In 2012, the initiative established ‘Kening fan ’e Greide’ (King of the Meadow, a reference to the godwit), which enabled farmers, scientists, and artists to collaborate in an effort to "promote sustainable attitudes to nature and the landscape."
Outreach Piersma is known for his creative teaching style, which he tries to make accessible to everyone. In 2012, he opened the WWF's Dutch Jubilee Conference with a theatre performance illustrating the migration of the black-tailed godwit, with composer Sytze Pruiksma providing accompanying music. He has two main performances: The Sound and Science of Bird Migration and Music of Migration, which he has performed in front of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, at the Oerol Festival, and to the Bohai Bay community while he was there studying the Yellow Sea.
Personal life Piersma was born in Hemelum in 1958; his native language is Frisian. He currently lives in Gaast.
Awards and honours In 2001, a red knot subspecies from the New Siberian Islands was named Calidris canutus piersmai in his honour.
Year Prize Awarding institution Notes Ref. 1989 Herman Klomp Prize Netherlands Ornithologists' Union, SOVON-Bird Monitoring Netherlands, Vogelbescherming-BirdLife Netherlands 1.5 k€ award 1994 Dutch National Zoology Prize Netherlands Zoological Society 3 k€ award 1996 PIONIER Award NWO 0.9 M€ award 1998 Corresponding Fellow American Ornithologists’ Union Elected 2000 Research Award National Geographic Society 50 kUSD 2001 Membership Fryske Akademy Elected 2004 Prize for Nature Conservation Prince Bernhard Cultural Foundation 50 k€ Ornithologenpreis German Ornithologists' Society 5k€ Luc Hoffmann Medal for Excellence in Science and Conservation Wetlands International 2009 Membership Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences Elected 2011 Recipient TOP-subsidie NWO, NWO Council for Earth and Life Sciences 2014 Spinoza Prize NWO 2.5M€ award 2016 Membership Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities 2017 Order of the Netherlands Lion knightship Kingdom of the Netherlands The Marsh Award for International Ornithology Marsh Christian Trust and British Trust for Ornithology Anita Andriesen Prijs Anita Andriesen Prijs 2020 Godman-Salvin Medal British Ornithologists' Union Organization's most prestigious award Stairway to Impact Award NWO Inaugural awards; €50,000 prize
Books Year Title Title language Title in English Subject Notes Ref. 1982 English Wintering waders on the Banc d'Arguin, Mauritania: Report of the Netherlands Ornithological Mauritanian Expedition 1980 Ornithology Written with Wibe Altenburg, Meinte Engelmoer, and Ron Mes 1992 English The Migration of Knots Ornithology With Nick Davidson 1994 English Close to the edge: Energetic bottlenecks and the evolution of migratory pathways in knots Ornithology, biology 1999 Ecologische Atlas van de Nederlandse Wadvogels Dutch Ecology Written with Bruno J. Ens and Leo Zwarts; photographs by Jan van de Kam 2000 De onvrije natuur: Verkenningen van natuurlijke grenzen Dutch Ecology Edited with J.M. Tinbergen, J.P. Bakker, and J.M. van den Broek Op de vleugels van de wind: Wadvogelverhalen Dutch Ornithology Photographs by Jan van de Kam 2001 Goudplevieren en wilsterflappers: Eeuwenoude fascinatie voor trekvogels Dutch Ornithology Written with Joop Jukema, Jan Hulscher, Erik J. Bunskoeke, Anita Koolhaas, and A. Veenstra 2003 English Life along land's edge: Wildlife on the shores of Roebuck Bay, Broome Animal ecology Written with Danny I. Rogers, Marc S.S. Lavaleye, Grant Pearson, and Petra de Goeji; photographs by Jan van de Kam 2004 English Shorebirds: An illustrated behavioural ecology Behavioral ecology Written with Bruno Ens and Leo Zwarts; photographs by Jan van de Kam 2005 English Seeking Nature's Limits: Ecologists in the field Ecology Edited with Joost Tinbergen and Jan Bakker; translated by R.H. Drent 2006 Waarom nonnetjes samen klaarkomen en andere wonderen van het Wad Dutch Ecology 2008 English Invisible Connections: Why Migrating Shorebirds Need the Yellow Sea Ornithology Edited with Jan Lewis; photographs by Jan van de Kam 2011 English The Flexible Phenotype: A Body-Centred Integration of Ecology, Physiology, and Behaviour Biology Photographs by Jan A. van Gils 2014 Sweltsjes fan Gaast Frisian Guests of Summer: A House Martin love story 2016 Knooppunt Waddenzee Dutch Intersection Wadden Sea Ecology Rob Buiter, Laura Govers, Metawad team Reisvogels Dutch Marathon Migrants Ornithology, migration Photographs by Jan van de Kam 2018 Een horizon vol weidevogels in Zuidwest-Friesland: Inzichten uit de workshop van de International Wader Study Group, 28 september 2018 Dutch Meadowbirds on the horizon of southwest Friesland: Insights of the International Wader Study Group workshop, 28 September 2018 Animal ecology, ornithology With Ruth Howison, Heinrich Belting, Jennifer Smart, Mark Smart, Rob Shuckard, Ole Thorup, and International Wader Study Group De ontsnapping van de natuur: Een nieuwe kijk op kennis Dutch The Escape of Nature: A new perspective on knowledge Written with Thomas Oudman
References
External links
Global Flyway Network tracking website Profile at University of Groningen