Co-operation with UNESCO

'Man and the Biosphere' Programme (MAB)

Following this call for proposals, the research project BIOSPERETRAITS in the framework of the 'Man and Biosphere' (MAB) programme of UNESCO started in 2014

The project BIOSPERETRAITS (Traits fonctionnels provenant des collections et des inventaires d’écosystèmes dans les Réserves de Biosphère en Afrique Centrale afin d’étudier la résilience des forêts tropicales | Functionele kenmerken afgeleid van collecties en ecosysteem inventarissen in Centraal-Afrikaanse Biosfeerreservaten ter studie van de veerkracht van tropische bossen), on the MAB sites Yangambi and Luki, is being conducted at the RMCA [Royal Museum for Central Africa] and is taking place in collaboration with partners from the DR Congo.

In November 2015, BELSPO and the MAB secretariat at UNESCO signed a memorandum of understanding for collaboration; in the first phase the collaboration is to be mainly focussed on MAB activities in Africa. 

A new call for research proposals was launched in March 2016, open to all non-profit Belgian research institutions. The research theme was: "Development of a methodology for evaluating the economic value of ecosystem goods and services in Biosphere reserves in support of the transition to a green economy"

As a result of the call, the project EVAMAB (Economic valuation of ecosystem services in Man and Biosphere reserves: testing effective rapid assessment methods in selected African MABs) was started in 2017 by the RBINS, in collaboration with the KUL, Antwerp University, Hasselt University and researchers and stakeholders from 3 African MAB sites.
Co-publication UNESCO-BELSPO “Guidance for the assessment of ecosystem services in African Biosphere Reserves: a way forward to sustainable development " (soon mult-lingual available).