About BESE

Why

As we approach the 1.5°C global warming threshold, the consequences for nature and our dependence on it become increasingly severe. The global biodiversity crisis, even more critical than the climate crisis, is intensified by the interconnected nature of both challenges. Fortunately, solutions to these crises often overlap. To address the biodiversity and climate crises, there’s a growing emphasis on both small and large-scale nature restoration projects worldwide.

BESE consists of dedicated habitat restoration specialists who have witnessed the repeated failures of ecological restoration and are motivated to develop unique products for nature restoration to ensure the success of restoration projects worldwide.

How

At BESE, our habitat restoration specialists restore nature through expertise and specialized products tailored to nature’s needs. These products are not only biodegradable and biobased but are also crafted from materials sourced from waste streams. Collaborating with local experts, we engage in consultations to determine the most effective nature-based ways to kick-start nature recovery and identify the most suitable products for each unique situation.

What

We deploy our products in nature-based solutions to initiate the process of nature restoration. Once our biodegradable products have naturally broken down, the environment can continue to recover independently. It’s noteworthy that through nature restoration alone, we can contribute to achieving 37% of the climate change goals set to limit global warming to below 1.5°C.

The team

Malenthe Teunis

Operations manager
Focus: aquatic ecology and marine ecosystem restoration. Malenthe is one of the major drivers behind the BESE-products. She is active in the design of new products and out in the field, setting up new restoration projects with BESE-products.

Karin Didderen

R&D manager
Focus: ecosystem restoration. Fascinated with nature and active in the field of marine ecology, and searching for ecosystem restoration measures that work. Karin is one of the pioneers in the development of BESE-elements.

Brenda van Doorn-Deden

Project manager ecosystem restoration
Focus: environmental science and project management. Brenda has a strong background in environmental sciences and extensive experience in marine nature restoration, nature conservation, climate adaptation, and environmental policies. She is deeply passionate about our blue environment and has made it her personal mission to foster a more balanced relationship between society and nature.

Tanja Bos

Project coordinator ecosystem restoration
Focus: Restoration of (marine) ecosystems, with a special passion for seagrass, mangrove, and kelp ecosystems. In addition to her career as a police detective and entrepreneur, Tanja has been actively involved for many years in various (inter)national nature restoration and conservation projects. Her sense of urgency for ecological recovery and her passion for marine ecosystems have led her to make an impact as a project coordinator for ecosystem restoration at BESE, using her investigative and goal-oriented approach.

Peter Vodegel

Project supporter nature restoration and product development
Focus: marine ecology and coral reef restoration. After setting up a coral reef restoration project and conservation dive base in Kenya Peter is now assisting in BESE-projects and product development.

Laura van Dijk

Operations assistant
Focus: back-office. After years of secretarial experience in a corporate environment Laura chose to use her skills in a field she is passionate about: nature and ecology. She assists the BESE-team with sales support, HRM, invoicing and all kinds of practical matters.

Wouter Lengkeek

Owner | Marine Ecologist
Focus: marine ecosystem restoration. As a field biologist and scientific diver Wouter has studied the world’s marine ecosystems for over 20 years. He now uses this long-standing experience to benefit ecosystem restoration. He is one of the pioneers in the development of ecosystem restoration with BESE-elements.

Eelco Waardenburg

Owner | Business developer
Focus: terrestrial ecosystem restoration. After completing his studies in Tropical Land Use, Eelco lived in West Africa and successfully founded several businesses. In 2014, he became Managing Director and owner of Waardenburg Ecology, a family business established in 1979. His vision: With Waardenburg Ecology’s wealth of ecological expertise, it’s time to embrace nature-based solutions and active ecosystem restoration. The result: BESE BV!

Current Vacancies

Fundraiser / Business Development Lead

We are looking for a proactive and entrepreneurial Fundraiser / Business Development Lead to help BESE Products grow its impact.
In this broad role, you will identify and secure funding opportunities that enable us to scale our nature-based solutions, expand international restoration projects and strengthen our commercial and strategic partnerships. You will work closely with the BESE team to develop a fundraising strategy, build relationships with funders and investors, and translate our ecological impact, market potential and innovation story into compelling proposals and partnership opportunities.