Search publications of the members of the Royal Belgian institute of natural Sciences
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A new genus and species of Tachydromiinae (Diptera: Empididae) from the Oriental Realm.
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A new species of Paramedetera, with a key to the species from China (Diptera: Dolichopodidae)
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New yellow-legged Hybos from Nanling, Guangdong, China (Diptera, Empidoidea, Hybotidae)
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A new species of Oedalea from China, with a key to the Asian species (Diptera, Hybotidae).
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Description of three new species of Platypalpus Macquart from Guangdong (Diptera: Hybotidae, Tachydromiinae)
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Revision of Elaphropeza Macquart from Guangdong (Diptera: Hybotidae, Tachydromiinae)
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The Evolution of Cattle Husbandry Practices in the Roman Period in Gallia Belgica and Western Germania Inferior.
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Turning off the DRIP (‘Data-rich, information-poor’) – rationalising monitoring with a focus on marine renewable energy developments and the benthos.
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Taphonomy and palaeoecology of the lower Miocene marine vertebrate assemblage of Ullujaya (Chilcatay Formation, East Pisco Basin, southern Peru)
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Antibodies against medically relevant arthropod-borne viruses in the ubiquitous African rodent Mastomys natalensis
- Author summary One of the main causes of zoonotic related human morbidity and mortality is the transmission of arthropod-borne viruses such as dengue virus, Yellow Fever virus, and chikungunya virus. These viruses cannot only infect humans but also livestock, pets, and wildlife, though our understanding of their non-human hosts remains limited. Rodents are thought to be an important host for these viruses because they can be abundant, often live near humans, and some are already known to be viral hosts. However, research has focused mostly on non-human primates, neglecting other potential wild hosts. To address this gap, we have developed a high-throughput antibody test to screen rodent blood against 15 different arboviruses. Our findings reveal that Mastomys natalensis, a common African rodent species, carries antibodies that (cross-)react against these viruses. We hypothesize that immunologically naïve juveniles may drive transmission, particularly during population outbreaks. These outbreaks coincide with environmental conditions that are favorable for mosquitoes, thus increasing the risk of spillover to humans, livestock, and wildlife. Understanding the role of rodents in arbovirus transmission dynamics is crucial for mitigating zoonotic disease risks.
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Phénologie des abeilles sauvages dans le Parc National de la Kibira au Burundi (Hymenoptera: Apoidea)
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Developing, testing and demonstrating onshore storage of CO2: First results from the ENOS field sites
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CO2-EOR: De impact van prijsonzekerheden op de investeringsbeslissing
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Some newly described archaeocete remains from the Eocene of the Helmstedt region, Germany
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Colourful rivers: archaeobotanical remains of dye plants from urban fluvial deposits in the southern Low Countries (Belgium)
- Although dye plants were a key element in the medieval cloth industry, their use has rarely been documented through archaeobotanical studies. This paper describes and discusses new archaeobotanical finds related to textile dyeing in the southern Low Countries, which was among the most important areas of cloth production and export in Europe during the late medieval period. Remains of weld, madder and woad, the three main medieval dye plant species, were identified via archaeobotanical analysis and high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection (HPLC-PDA). The remains were found in river deposits, dating between the 10th/12th and 15th century, from two medieval cloth-producing towns, Brussels and Mechelen. Most likely, the finds must be interpreted as waste discarded by textile dyers, which were often concentrated along the urban riverbanks. This study not only documents the use of dye plants in both cities, but also demonstrates the importance of archaeobotanical analyses of fluvial deposits for the reconstruction of artisanal activities within ancient towns. The assemblages are confronted with historic sources and mapped with other medieval remains of dye plants in the region.
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Ovary organization and oogenesis of Haplotaxis sp. (Clitellata: Haplotaxidae)
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Joining science and policy in capacity development for monitoring progress towards the Aichi Biodiversity Targets in the global South
- In view of better linking conservation and sustainable development, it is imperative to optimize the transfer of biodiversity-related knowledge and technology from resource-rich countries to developing countries. All countries signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity are expected to report on their progress towards achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. However, weak data coverage and the technicality or even unavailability of indicators present major barriers to the monitoring of biodiversity as well as the development of adequate biodiversity policies and management plans in many countries of the global South, hence increasing the North-South knowledge and capacity gap. Capacity development in these countries may hence substantially enrich global biodiversity monitoring and policy. In this effort, ensuring that monitoring programs are realistic and sufficiently embedded in policy remains a challenge. To contribute to the mainstreaming of biodiversity into development cooperation, we developed a capacity development concept that links scientific data to policy development. To guarantee shared ownership, academic institutes and organisations or authorities with responsibilities in biodiversity policy were invited to jointly submit competitive “Monitoring, Reporting and Verification” (MRV) project applications. It appeared that especially ground truthing, economic valuation of biodiversity,and the application of modern technologies in biodiversity monitoring were missing capacities in the global South. Efforts are also required to increase the understanding and use of indicators to avoid them remaining a theoretical concept. As is observed with MRV in the carbon context, increased involvement of local communities is recommended in the global MRV framework, including techniques such as community-based Mapping, Measuring and Monitoring.
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Utilitarian framings of biodiversity shape environmental impact assessment in development cooperation
- Biodiversity is under threat from anthropogenic pressures, in particular in biodiversity-rich developing countries. Development cooperation actors, who traditionally focus on the improvement of socio-economic conditions in the South, are increasingly acknowledging the linkages between poverty and biodiversity, e.g. by referring to the ecosystem services framework. However, there are many different framings which stress the need for biodiversity integration and which influence how biodiversity and development are and/or should be linked. Moreover, there is a gap between the lip service paid to biodiversity integration and the reality of development cooperation interventions. This study analyses how biodiversity framings are reflected in environmental impact assessment (EIA) practice, and how these framings influence EIA and decision-making. The findings, based on an in-depth qualitative analysis of World Bank EIAs undertaken in West Africa, indicate the incoherent quality but also the dominance of the‘utilitarian’ and‘corrective’ framings, which respectively stress human use of nature and mitigation of negative unintended development impacts. Identifying and highlighting these discursive trends leads to increased awareness of the importance of biodiversity among all development actors in North and South. However, some framings may lead to an overly narrow human-centred approach which downplays the intrinsic value of biodiversity. This study proposes recommendations for an improved integration of biodiversity in development cooperation, including the need for more systematic baseline studies in EIAs.
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Les formations paléozoïques des sondages de Tournai et de Leuze
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Rugueux solitaires du Frasnien de la Belgique
