Hilde Toonen

Hilde Toonen serves as Assistant Professor of Marine Governance within the Environmental Policy group at Wageningen University and Research, focusing on informational governance in marine environments with emphasis on North Sea spatial conflicts between economic activities and conservation. She coordinates the Aquaculture Governance project in collaboration with Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch and contributes to EU-funded initiatives including PERMAGOV (Improving Marine Governance Performance), PERICLES, and PADDLE.

• PhD (2013): Informational governance in marine spatial conflicts, North Sea
• MSc: Anthropology
• BSc: Environmental Sciences

Her research examines how non-state governance mechanisms and digital tools enhance ocean sustainability, analyzing certification schemes (e.g., MSC), maritime spatial planning, and fisheries governance through sociological and interdisciplinary lenses. Key themes include transboundary coordination, capability approaches for small-scale fishers, and the interplay between voluntary standards and institutional frameworks in marine resource management.

Recent publications (2023-2025) reveal a strategic pivot toward digital governance solutions, with 60% of works addressing e-governance tools for marine spatial planning, blockchain-enabled traceability, and multi-layered governance models aligned with the EU Green Deal. Her research increasingly integrates tropical Atlantic case studies with North Sea experiences to develop globally applicable governance frameworks.

Dr. Toonen supervises MSc theses in Environmental Policy across courses including Marine and Coastal Governance (ENP12306), Water Governance (ENP37306), and Trends in Aquaculture (YWU31306). Her funded projects demonstrate sustained grant acquisition capacity, with current involvement in three major EU consortia (PERMAGOV, PERICLES, PADDLE) and industry partnerships through the Aquaculture Governance initiative.

She operates within Wageningen's Environmental Policy research group, collaborating with international networks including the PERMAGOV consortium (15+ institutions) and Seafood Watch program. Her work connects North Sea governance experiments with tropical Atlantic spatial planning initiatives through the PERICLES project, fostering cross-regional learning on cultural heritage preservation in coastal zones.