Becker, Tatiana

Position / Title

Part-Time Lecturer

Department

Academic Foundation Year

Email Address

tatiana.becker@ua.aw

Fields of Specialization

Marine Ecology
Environmental Sciences

Last updated December 23, 2025

Biography

Tatiana Becker is a part-time STEM lecturer in the Academic Foundation Year program at the University of Aruba. Tatiana holds a Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Studies from the Inholland University of Applied Sciences and a Master's Degree in Aquaculture and Marine Resource Management from Wageningen University. She is passionate and interested in researching Marine Ecology.

Publication Search Results

Now showing 1 - 8 of 8

Open Access
How island researchers navigate the wicked nature of small island research. A conversation continued
(2025-06) Mertens, Anouk; Acevedo, Diego; Arens, Patrick; Becker, Tatiana; Brinklow, Laurie; de Scisciolo, Tobia; Drew, Ryan; Facun, Kryss; Hall, Iain; Halliday, Andrew Mark; John, Nigel; López Márquez, Violeta; McDonald, Anne; Mitchell, Jean; Moncada, Stefano; Noll, Dominik; Richardson, Yolanda; Sultan, Salys; van Veghel, Amber; Werleman, Stephanie; Mijts, Eric
Small islands across the globe face the direct consequences of climate change and alarming biodiversity loss. In this context, islands and islanders are sometimes framed as a “litmus test” or “the ideal laboratory” for experiments to advise larger continental areas on how to address the effects of climate change and the biodiversity crisis. Due to the specific island context, islanders are the primary problem solvers in addressing and mitigating these challenges, and finding ways to adapt to them; however, in the first place, to protect their territories, populations, ecosystems, and cultures. It is therefore crucial and urgent to adopt and integrate inter- and transdisciplinary scientific knowledge embedded within the local contexts. Given their leadership role, island-centred research by the local island-based knowledge institutes and researchers is key. Island-centred research should play a pivotal role in generating contextualized knowledge and solutions, whether or not embedded in reciprocal international partnerships with other knowledge institutes. In this presentation, we will dive deeper into the island researchers’ operating space for such island-centred research, based on insights from semi-structured interviews and interactive sessions with island researchers from a wide range of contexts and disciplines. Our data reveal that despite the many challenges of conducting research from within the islands (incl. availability and accessibility of data, or technical and logistic challenges, funding, etc.), island researchers have found an array of ways to overcome these challenges and to produce valuable and impactful results for their societies and the rest of the world. This contribution aims to be a conversation starter amongst island researchers from insular and continental (institutional) contexts to further strengthen productive and equal collaborations in island-centred research.
Open Access
Assessing Structural Connectivity of Caribbean Coral Reef, Mangroves, and Seagrass Using Remote Sensing
(2025-05) Becker, Tatiana
In the Caribbean, coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass ecosystems frequently co-exist and interact in intricate ways. Numerous studies have highlighted the interdependency of these ecosystems through processes such as nutrient cycling, species habitat sharing, and coastal protection. Maintaining the connectivity between these ecosystems is crucial for preserving biodiversity, enhancing ecosystem resilience, and supporting coastal livelihoods. Consequently, conservation efforts must prioritize the integrity of these connections rather than treating each habitat type separately. While existing research has primarily focused on the functional connectivity of these coastal ecosystems—addressing ecological interactions and species movement—the structural connectivity, which examines how the physical arrangement and spatial configuration of ecosystems influence their interdependency and resilience, remains relatively understudied. Recent advancements in remote sensing technologies, such as accessible high-resolution spatio-temporal satellite imagery, can help us bridge this knowledge gap. This proposed research seeks to leverage these technologies to map and evaluate the structural connectivity of coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds in the ABC islands and potentially across the broader Caribbean region. The study will assess a range of structural connectivity proxies, including distance between habitats, boundary lengths, patch size, shape complexity, presence of barriers, and the number of patches. Ground-truthing will be conducted to validate these assessments, ensuring robust and reliable results. The findings will offer valuable insights for conservation managers and NGOs and provide critical input for tools like MarxanConnect, aiding the design and implementation of marine protected areas (MPAs). This will enhance efforts to preserve ecosystem connectivity and resilience.
Open Access
Seagrass Monitoring Initiative in Collaboration with Oregon State University
(2025) Becker, Tatiana; Becker, Tatiana
As a local continuation of the CARICAS (Caribbean Carbon Accounting In Seagrass) project, seagrass monitoring efforts have been initiated in Aruba. This initiative began in March 2024 as a collaborative effort between the University of Aruba, represented by Tatiana Becker, and Oregon State University (OSU), represented by Itchung Cheung and Dwayne Plaza. OSU students are trained in seagrass field data collection following the CARICAS protocol for Seagrass Quadrat Surveys, developed by Florida International University (FIU). Under supervision, students manually collect data and photographic evidence, which supports data validation and ensures quality control. The resulting dataset will be updated annually to reflect ongoing monitoring efforts. Ultimately, this collaboration aims to bridge local environmental data gaps while providing OSU students with meaningful experiential learning opportunities in marine science.
Open Access
An inventory of Sustainable Development Projects in Aruba, Dutch Caribbean and the Caribbean Region (2018-2023)
(2023) Moreno Ramirez, Alejandra; Ulacio, Alexandra; Kusmus, Celia; Becker, Tatiana
Metadata only
Nutrient content of agricultural soils in SIS: A case study in Aruba
(University of Aruba and Utrecht University, 2023) van den Berg, Steff; Becker, Tatiana; John, Nigel; Mijts, Eric
Open Access
Carbon Sequestration - Engaging Youth in Science and Conservation
(2021-10) Becker, Tatiana; de Scisciolo, Tobia; Becker, Tatiana; de Scisciolo, Tobia
Open Access
Beach debris on Aruba, Southern Caribbean: Attribution to local land-based and distal marine-based sources
(Elsevier, 2016) de Scisciolo, Tobia; Mijts, Eric; Becker, Tatiana; Eppinga, Maarten
Accumulation of marine (plastic) debris from local land-based and distal marine-based sources along coastlines is a pressing modern issue. Hitherto, assessing the relative contribution of pollution sources through beach surveys is methodologically challenging. We surveyed ten beaches along the leeward and windward coastlines of Aruba (southern Caribbean) to determine differences in macro- and meso-debris densities. Differences were quantified using three metrics: 1) the gradient in macro-debris density away from the waterfront; 2) the proportion of plastic within macro-debris; 3) the meso-:macro-debris ratio. Overall 42,585 macro-debris items and 884 meso-debris items were collected. The density of near-shore macro-debris, proportion of plastic debris herein, and meso-:macro-debris ratio were highest on the windward coastline. These results suggest that southern Caribbean windward coastlines are mainly exposed to debris originating from distal marine-based sources, and leeward coastlines to local land-based sources. Our metrics clearly reflect these differences, providing novel means to survey debris source origin.
Open Access
Beach debris on Aruba
(Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA),, 2016) Eppinga, Maarten; de Scisciolo, Tobia; Mijts, Eric; Becker, Tatiana
A large-scale study of beach debris on Aruba has shown just how much marine debris pollution there is on the island’s beaches. The study also locates the different sources of this debris, emphasizing the need for both local and global action.