Our People
Richard Grosshans
Lead, Bioeconomy
Dr. Richard Grosshans is the Bioeconomy Lead in IISD’s Water Program. He received his PhD in Biosystems Engineering and Biological Sciences at the University of Manitoba, where he was an NSERC IPGS Research Scholar. His current research crosses multiple disciplinary boundaries focused on integration of water, energy, and nutrient management with sustainable agriculture, bioproducts, and bioenergy. Richard’s expertise is in wetland systems, integrated watershed management, environmental engineering, biogeochemistry, nutrient management, water quality, bioremediation, eutrophication in aquatic systems, alternative energy, and bioproducts and bioenergy.
Richard is the lead research scientist on the award-winning and internationally recognized Lake Winnipeg Bioeconomy project and Netley-Libau Nutrient-Bioenergy project, which have contributed towards policies on nutrient and surface water management, wetland protection, GHG emission reductions and offsets, and reduction of phosphorus loading in Canada and internationally. This research explores innovative watershed-based bioeconomy approaches that generate environmental and economic benefits to address integrated issues of flooding and nutrient loading. Richard is affiliated with the Paludiculture research group in Germany, and is collaborating on water and nutrient retention projects in Canada and the US.
Richard’s work at IISD has included geographic analysis of water issues in Canada, watershed changes in Hungary, international policy influences to deforestation in the Amazon, EGS, and biomass energy in Europe and Africa. Prior to IISD, Richard worked as a research biologist for Ducks Unlimited Canada, examining long-term trends and human impacts in wetlands.
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Sustainable Watersheds for Carbon Offsets: Biomass harvesting for phosphorus capture, habitat renewal and carbon emissions reductions We have been exploring new and innovative practices to reduce flood impacts and nutrient loading, as well as to reduce carbon emissions, in the Lake Winnipeg watershed through better water retention management, and the harvest and use of sustainable wetland biomass. -
Floating Treatment Wetlands and Plant Bioremediation: Nutrient treatment in eutrophic freshwater lakesAllow us to explain why floating treatment wetlands are an innovative “natural infrastructure" option for effective biological treatment and removal of nutrients to help clean up algal blooms in surface waters. -
Geography Matters: Targeting "hotspots" for cumulative environmental benefits Using open data from a variety of sources, we demonstrated how Manitoba can target its limited resources to deliver public programming to agricultural regions and gain better outcomes. -
IISD’s Response to Manitoba’s Proposed New Water Rights Regulations to Protect Wetlands and Make Drainage More Sustainable in the ProvinceIISD's response to the Government of Manitoba's proposed drainage regulations aimed to ensure no net loss of wetland benefits while streamlining the drainage permitting process. -
Canada Should Copy Europe When It Comes to the BioeconomyThe recently announced EU Bioeconomy Strategy continues that continent’s legacy of advancing biological solutions to environmental questions and strategically highlights the economic benefits of the approach with a strong focus on jobs, growth and investment. -
Floating Treatment Wetlands: Keeping our fresh water clean and healthyWe explain how, where and why floating treatment wetlands can be used to keep freshwater bodies clean around the world. -
Floating Treatment Wetlands: Keeping our fresh water clean and healthyThis short, engaging storybook takes you through what Floating Treatment Wetlands are, and how they could really help us keep bodies of fresh water clean and healthy. -
How to Build a Floating WetlandNot only do floating wetlands look super cool, they could help us keep fresh water free of whole range of pollutants—maybe even oil spills! Madeline and Richard take us through how to make one, in this short video. -
Manitoba's Biomass Fuel: Protecting our environment and saving us moneyBiomass is a viable, abundant and environmentally sound source of renewable energy in Manitoba. This is what we need to do to make it a major renewable energy player in the province. -
Making Biomass Big Business in ManitobaBiomass has the potential to be a major player in the renewable energy sector in Manitoba. Now we need to create a sustainable industry for it. Here's how we can make that happen. -
How to Best Manage Water Retention Sites to Protect Manitoba's EnvironmentWater retention sites—vital for protecting Manitoba from floods—must be well managed so Manitobans can enjoy the abundance of additional environmental benefits they can bring. -
Manitoba Bioeconomy AtlasThe Manitoba Bioeconomy Atlas demonstrates the economic and ecological value of common wetland plants as a marketable feedstock for biomass energy—all with the goal of creating a healthier Lake Winnipeg basin and developing a Manitoba bioeconomy. -
Large Area Planning in the Nelson-Churchill River Basin (NCRB): Laying a foundation in northern ManitobaThis report explores two trends—the growing tendency towards large basin management and consideration of ecosystem services in decision making—for the northern portion of the Nelson-Churchill River Basin in Canada. -
Large Area Planning in the Nelson-Churchill River Basin (NCRB): Laying a foundation in northern Manitoba (Summary)This document summarizes a longer report that explores two trends—the growing tendency towards large basin management and consideration of ecosystem services in decision making—for the northern portion of the Nelson-Churchill River Basin in Canada. -
Smart-Sourced Fuel ProductsMany different types of “waste” or under-used plant materials can be turned into value-added bioenergy fuel products. This brochure, available in both English and French, focuses on such materials available in Manitoba, Canada, including agricultural residues, forestry residues, grassland plants and wetland plants. -
Cattails Into Clean Energy: Where to from here?Richard Grosshans takes a look at the success our bioeconomy work harvesting cattails into clean-energy pellets, and discusses where the project is headed now. -
Advancing Netley-Libau Marsh Restoration Efforts: Cattail biomass and nutrient survey of Netley-Libau MarshLake Winnipeg is one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world and drains a watershed area of... -
Strategic Large-Basin Management for Multiple Benefits: Submission to the Manitoba Clean Environment CommissionThis paper was submitted to the Manitoba Clean Environment Commission (CEC) for consideration in... -
Cattail Biomass in a Watershed-Based Bioeconomy: Commercial-scale harvesting and processing for nutrient capture, biocarbon and high-value bioproductsOne of the fundamental insights of the Watershed-Bioeconomy research is that phosphorus, the... -
Cattail Biomass to Energy: Commercial-scale harvesting of cattail biomass for biocarbon and solid fuelThe International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) has explored the harvesting of... -
Bioeconomies at a Watershed Scale (brochure)This brochure provides an overview of IISD’s watershed-focused approach to the bioeconomy.To do... -
Cattails for Clean Community WaterwaysIn 2013, the City of Winnipeg and IISD embarked on a project to turn locally harvested cattail ... -
Cattails Harvesting for Carbon Offsets and Nutrient Capture: A "Lake Friendly" greenhouse gas projectThe Cattail Biomass Harvesting project is pursuing and evaluating the commercial-scale harvesting... -
Cattail (Typha spp.) Harvesting in Manitoba: A legislative and market analysis for operationalization and carbon emission offsetsResearch findings from the Netley-Libau Nutrient-Bioenergy project are encouraging replication of... -
Our Lake, Our Solutions: Two years of progress and partnershipsThis video details progress IISD has made with its partners on the bioeconomy concept since the...
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Netley-Libau Nutrient-Bioenergy Project VideoThis video was produced by Red River College interns, Sarah Doerksen (Animator) and Amanda Hope ...
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Netley-Libau Nutrient-Bioenergy ProjectThis brochure provides an overview of the award-winning and internationally recognized Netley... -
Netley-Libau Marsh Google Earth TourTake a video tour of Netley-Libau Marsh (Manitoba, Canada), a major freshwater coastal wetland...
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Prospects for Mainstreaming Ecosystem Goods and Services in International PoliciesThis study shows how local delivery of ecosystem goods and services (EGS) is closely linked to... -
Indicators of Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change for Agriculture in the Prairie Region of Canada: Comparison with Field ObservationsA 2009 update of the joint IISD-PFRA working paper. -
Indicators of Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change for Agriculture in the Prairie Region of Canada: An Analysis based on Statistics Canada's Census of AgricultureThis working paper documents a collaborative IISD/AAFC-PFRA effort to develop an index of... -
Field Testing the Draft Canadian Biodiversity Index: A Report on Applying Real Ecosystem Data to the CBI The loss of biodiversity is recognized as one of the most serious global environmental issues....
Our People
