Goals
What do we think is important?
The foundation seeks to achieve its purpose by, among other things, coordinating, organizing or carrying out:
Faunistic survey of the distribution of macrofauna species in European waters.
Macrofauna are aquatic invertebrates, such as insect larvae, worms, snails, shells, that live in fresh and salt water.
Secure knowledge of specialists in the field of macrofauna.
Publication of determination works on macrofauna. – Unlock the knowledge in aforementioned via a website (www.semblis.org)
Organization of symposia in the field of macrofauna
News
Read here all the news from the world of macrofauna of fresh and salt water in Europe.
In this video, Jorne Grolleman (project leader, Globe Netherlands) and [...]
The Semblis Foundation also funded the publication of presentations at [...]
In 2025, the Semblis Foundation again facilitated 12 scholarships for [...]
Maria Judith Sanabria
She is a specialist in aquatic ecology with more than 15 years of experience in Colombia and 20 years in the Netherlands, where she has lived since 2001.
Her expertise lies in monitoring water quality in various water types and her knowledge of aquatic insects, including Trichoptera and water mites, is among her specialties.
“In the Netherlands, I learned to appreciate that even though everything is on a smaller scale, there are still very special natural areas with rare macrofauna species. Every year, even in this small country, we discover new species of aquatic insects for the Netherlands and even for Europe. My personal goal is to transfer knowledge and connect with the new generations and I can do this through the Semblis Foundation.”
David Tempelman
David has worked as an aquatic ecologist for more than 30 years. He is a great lover of macrofauna and still marvels at the great biodiversity found in Dutch waters.
His work includes aquatic nature surveys, water quality monitoring and training new colleagues in the profession. Shooting moths, water mites and dancing gnats are favorite animals for him. He has also published determination works on these animal groups and all kinds of articles on new and or unusual macrofauna species. Furthermore, he is very active in the field of citizen science.
“I would like to spread the word about what is special in the water, for me that is a personal goal and I can achieve that through the Semblis Foundation.”
Our Projects
Read more about the projects we set up, implement and supervise as the Semblis Foundation here.
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In this video, Jorne Grolleman (project leader, Globe Netherlands) and [...]
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The Semblis Foundation also funded the publication of presentations at [...]
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In 2025, the Semblis Foundation again facilitated 12 scholarships for [...]