Dr. Machiel Lamers

Dr. Machiel Lamers serves as Associate Professor at the Environmental Policy Group of Wageningen University & Research, where he specializes in sustainable tourism, environmental governance, and polar research. After completing his PhD from Maastricht University in 2009 on Antarctic tourism development, he has established himself as a prominent researcher with over 4,300 citations. His work spans multiple regions including the Arctic, Antarctic, Caribbean, and Indonesia, focusing on the governance of sustainable tourism and environmental change in coastal and marine destinations. As co-chair of the Societal and Economic Research Applications task team and steering group member of the Polar Coupled Analysis and Prediction for Services programme at the World Meteorological Organisation, he plays a crucial role in improving environmental prediction services for polar regions. His research combines theoretical approaches in environmental mobilities and practice theory with practical applications in tourism governance and conservation. Through his teaching of the MOOC "Tourism and Climate Change" and various research projects, he continues to advance understanding of sustainable tourism and environmental governance. His recent work emphasizes the importance of tailoring weather and environmental services to user needs in polar regions, while examining the complex relationships between tourism development, nature conservation, and climate adaptation. As a founding member of the International Polar Tourism Research Network and former chair for eight years, he has significantly influenced the field of polar tourism research while promoting transdisciplinary approaches to environmental governance.