COVID 19: Information Page
This page includes information on the activities of the platform relevant to the current COVID -19 pandemic and it's relationship with biodiversity, science-policy and human health.
Read about the different kinds of work we do:
Biodiversity and HealthOn the forefront of our work with Biodiversity and health is the Community of Practice on Biodiversity & Health (COPBH), which co-coordinated and facilitated the launch of the Belgian One Health Network. We launched the Community of Practice on Biodiversity and Health in 2011 and we have, since then, developed a growing network of stakeholders at both Belgian and global levels. The COPBH focuses both on nature related human health risks and benefits. This has been done through: 1. The organisation of networking events; 2. Science – policy – practice interface activity 3. Our Expert Registry and Projects Map Read more here. |
Invasive Alien Species and Wildlife TradeFrom 2006 onwards, The Belgian Biodiversity Platform has facilitated the Belgian Forum on Invasive Species (BFIS). Through this community of practice we coordinated the Alien Alert Project which gave rise to two risk assessments protocols: Harmonia+ and Pandora. Pandora is a first link risk assessment scheme for pathogenic or parasitic organisms that may be of concern to environmental, plant, animal or human health. It refers directly to a particular host organism, and as such is designed to support assessments with Harmonia+, which targets invasive alien species. |
IPBES and SBSTTA/CBDThrough our engagement as experts, we have helped to highlight the biodiversity and health interlinkages in the IPBES European and Central Asia assessment. We have also contributed to the Network for Evaluation of One Health (NEOH) request to IPBES for a ‘Biodiversity & Health’ assessment in the context of the IPBES rolling Work Programme up to 2030. We proposed to take this initiative within NEOH at its final conference, which was accepted. At the core of this request was the need for a One Health approach, incorporating information on nature based human health risks & benefits. Hosting the IPBES National Focal Point, we are also involved in recruiting experts for the so-called ‘nexus assessment’ on biodiversity, health, climate and food; and we will be in charge of reviewing the actual draft assessment and related negotiations at the Plenary meeting. As part of the Belgian delegation to SBSTTA we also have been coordinating the topical focus on biodiversity & health: SBSTTA 2017 & 2020 (AutumnAugust 2020) Dates for the next SBSTTA meeting are 1-7 Nov 2020 |
Open DataThe Belgian Biodiversity Platform plays an active role in providing accessibility of open data to researchers, policymakers and practitioners. Our services include, being the Belgian node to GBIF, providing biodiversity informatics tools and standards and facilitation of data papers, policy and management. The platform promotes Open Data and FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable data) among academics, decision makers and field managers in Belgium. These same principles are cited as capital in the framework of the study of COVID-19 and the dynamics of its epidemic. The pandemic has been linked to certain potentially vector organisms (pangolins, bats) and to the current biodiversity crisis (destruction of natural habitats). Biodiversity monitoring and study mechanisms are supported by the GBIF and serve to better understand the links between the health crises and the biodiversity/biodiversity crisis as such as their longer-term evolution. |
EKLIPSEAs part of the EKLIPSE Biodiversity and Health request the Belgian Biodiversity Platform has been involved in supporting a systematic review of scientific literature regarding mental effects of urban green & blue. This is being done in collaboration with WHO Europe. |
BiodivERsAThe Belgian Biodiversity Platform currently implements tasks for BiodivERsA (on behalf of BELSPO), particularly in science-policy interfacing, mapping activities, and communication. We are also involved in linking Belgian researchers with the BiodivERsA Partnership by communicating on annual calls, events and useful tools. In 2018, BiodivERsA launched a joint call on ‘Biodiversity and its link with animal, human and plant health’ including participation of Belspo, FWO and F.R.S.-FNRS. Ten transnational projects were funded for ca. 12 Mio € including 2 projects exploring animal reservoirs for viruses and risk of emergence of zoonoses, one in Europe and one in tropical Africa. This is clearly timely in the context of the current Covid-19 crisis. |