Denyse Snelder

Denyse Snelder is a Senior Specialist in Sustainable Land and Water Management at the Centre for International Cooperation, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. She holds a PhD from the University of Toronto (1993) and an MSc from the University of Amsterdam (1985). Her work focuses on natural resource management, climate change adaptation, and sustainable development in Africa and Southeast Asia. She has led multiple international projects funded by Nuffic, the EU, USAID, and Dutch ministries.

• Education:
• MSc in Landscape Ecology, University of Amsterdam (1985)
• PhD in Soil Erosion Management, University of Toronto (1993)

Her research integrates environmental science with socio-economic factors, addressing topics like water harvesting in Sub-Saharan Africa, spatial planning for agribusiness, and conflict resolution in natural resource management. She coordinates transboundary initiatives such as the Greater Virunga Landscape project and the SPADE project in Kenya. Dr. Snelder has extensive experience in capacity-building for African universities and has supervised numerous MSc/PhD students.

Recent publications analyze climate adaptation strategies among Ethiopian farmers, urban food security in Africa, and land-use dynamics in pastoralist communities. She collaborates with institutions like Ghent University, Maseno University, and the Horn of Africa Regional Environment Centre.