Keeping out plant pests at the zoo
Bartjan Bakker is the head of the Plants and Animal department at Rotterdam Zoo. He is responsible for all the greenery on the 28-hectare terrain, and is active ‘in front of, inside, and behind the screens,’ as he likes to put it.
His department creates the true-to-nature biotopes at the zoo. They designed the Oceanium with its cacti and Caribbean vegetation, the Amazonica butterfly dome, the Congo biotope with its myriad of useful African plants, the Riviera hall filled with tropical plants, and Taman Indah which houses an Asian jungle.
"The animals always remain the most important factor at the zoo," explains Bakker. "This is why chemical crop protection is simply not an option for us. We have established an ecological equilibrium with the beneficials from Koppert and predominantly use Cryptolaemus montrouzieri (Cryptobug-L), Phytoseiulus persimilis (Spidex), Aphidoletes aphidimyza (Aphidend), and Chrysoperla carnea (Chrysopa)."
Resilient ecological balances
Rotterdam Zoo has a wealth of different types of plants, bushes, and trees. According to Bakker, the ecology at the zoo is incredibly robust. "The balances that we create are incredibly resilient and there are rarely any issues that we cannot resolve ourselves."
However, when such a situation does occur, Bakker and his colleagues can rely on Koppert to help them. "The company is large and is able to supply the volumes and expertise that we need," explains Bakker. "The fact that they are located so near to us is an added advantage. Koppert is the ultimate brand for biological crop protection."
For more information:
Koppert Biological Systems
[email protected]
www.koppert.com