On 30 May, the federal citizen science community met at the Royal Meteorological Institute to discuss the role of local communities in scientific research. To engage these communities, scientists need to figure out smart and empathetic approaches – a task that forces researchers to rethink their methods all the time. Six concrete projects showed us different ways that research teams rose to the challenge.
Today we celebrate the International Day for Biodiversity! Africa is home to an enormous variety of species and ecosystems of global importance. To further knowledge of African biodiversity, we study the structure and function of wood, as well as the role of trees and fauna in various African ecosystems.
The Royal Museum for Central Africa has been organizing true fly (Diptera) training courses for more than 15 years. Initially, these trainings took place in Tervuren, Belgium with a focus on pest fruit fly species (Tephritidae). In the last decade the trainings took place in Africa and also covered trainings on fly families with an important role in pollination, such as hoverflies (Syrphidae), nose flies (Rhiniidae), and tangle-veined flies (Nemestrinidae).