The Belgian Focal Point to the Global Taxonomy Initiative

 

Background

As requested in COP decision V/9, paragraph 4, Belgium has designated its National Focal Point for the GTI: the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, (RBINS) in Brussels.

The RBINS, both a museum and a research institute, is the largest of Belgium's taxonomic institutions. It harbours zoological collections (roughly 37 million specimens) and a library of global importance, well-equipped research facilities and well-trained scientific and curatorial staff. 

There are many other institutions in Belgium with activities highly relevant for the GTI. RBINS's two main partners are the Royal Museum for Central Africa (Tervuren) and the National Botanic Garden (Meise), but it also works with universities and other research institutes at the federal and regional levels (see also http://bch-cbd.naturalsciences.be/belgium/biodiversity/actors/actors.htm for complete list of Belgian actors involved in biodiversity research).

 

Activities

"Rapid access to bad data is unacceptable; the challenge is not merely to speed data access but to expedite taxonomic research."

Wheeler, Raven & Wilson, Science 303: p. 285

The primary role of the GTI focal point is to acts as a central point of contact for centres of taxonomic expertise in the country and as a link for information sharing to other countries through their respective focal points. 

In addition, Belgium has chosen to be pro-active in ensuring maximal implementation of the Global Taxonomy Initiative. 

Thanks to financial support by the Belgian Development Cooperation (DGDC), the Belgian GTI focal point undertakes capacity building activities for taxonomy and collection management, via: 

  • Training in taxonomy and collection management. 
    This tuition, provided in collaboration with the Royal Museum for Central Africa (Tervuren, Belgium) and the National Botanic Garden (Meise), cuts across all levels and aims at professional taxonomists, postgraduate, graduate and undergraduate students, technicians and parataxonomists. Training for the individual includes traditional and molecular approaches to taxon identification and classification while institutional support includes reference centre and website development.

  • Support for taxonomy- based research projects. 
    Established taxonomists from the RBINS identify important taxonomic impediments and tackle these by carrying out in situ research projects that incorporate clear-cut human and/or institutional capacity building.

  • Other activities, such as the valorisation of archives and collections relating to partner countries, the development of public awareness and education and the provision of scientific support to biodiversity-related policy of Belgian Development Cooperation.

To give impetus to some of these objectives, the Belgian Focal Point for the GTI works via calls for proposals:

  1. Call for taxonomy-based individual and institutional capacity building projects (call open to developing countries) - See the text of the call and the call results for 2004

  2. Call for taxonomy-based research projects (call open to research projects including a RBINS promotor) - See the call results for 2004

 

Contact us

Our address:

Belgian Focal Point to the Global Taxonomy Initiative
Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences
Rue Vautier 29
1000 Brussels
Belgium
Tel: +32 2 627 43 41
Fax: +32 2 627 41 41
Email: cbd-gti@naturalsciences.be

How to get there? See our access maps.

Our team:

Dr. J. Van Goethem - Project promotor
Dr. A. Franklin - Project coordinator
Dr. Y. Samyn - GTI Tutor
Mr. A. Réveillon - Assistant tutor

 

 

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Last updated  29-11-2004

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