Conservation

As conservation scientists, we have dedicated both our careers and free time to contribute to conserving biodiversity all over the world. For scientists like us, this often means that we use our scientific knowledge to inform conservation in its many forms, particularly conservation management in the field or conservation policy. In this section of the blog, we would like to give you a glimpse of our scientific achievements and share some of the most interesting projects and information we have contributed to generate, along with other scientists!

Receiving our PhD at the University of Antwerp (March 2020)

Latest conservation posts

  • Fighting Hunger With Vegetables In A Remote Congolese Village
    Welcome to Biruwe! Biruwe is a small village of North-Kivu, located five kilometers from Nkuba, the village where we live. We visited Biruwe for the first time when Frederik needed to go to the local hospital to test for the malaria. Luckily, he did not have malaria : it was just a cold. Even more … Read more
  • REDD+ to fight climate change and help people in Nkuba
    Over the past few months, much has been happening in the Nkuba Conservation Area (NCA) in Congo. The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund (DFGFI) has worked together with the NGO Wildlife Works to collect data on the amount of carbon present in the forests of the NCA. Once analyzed, the data will be used to register … Read more
  • Rare forest birds influenced by topography and habitat quality
    Found up to 5200 meters above sea level across the Andes of South America, Polylepis trees can grow higher than any other in the world. True survivors, these trees are able to withstand extreme dry, cold and windy conditions and offer a home to many rare plant and animal species that occur nowhere else in … Read more
  • Reconciling biodiversity conservation with ecosystem services to save rare Andean forests
    Protected areas are important tools to conserve biodiversity. As they are often located in populated areas, protected areas are increasingly expected to also provide ‘ecosystem services’. Ecosystem services are the many benefits given by nature to humans. Most of these services, like the provision of food, clean air and water, resources like wood or medicine … Read more
  • Protecting nature in Half of the Earth could affect over one billion people
    Humanity is currently experiencing the biggest biodiversity crisis it has ever faced. During this ‘sixth mass extinction’, entirely caused by human activities, species go extinct at a rate 1000 times higher than what would happen naturally. This is problematic because species diversity is the foundation of a healthy planet and, by extension, of a thriving … Read more