Fanny Boeraeve

PHD Student

Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech

Belgian Ecosystems & Society (BEES) Newsletter - September 2017. Access the full newsletter here.

 

1. How are you involved in BEES?
I have been involved in BEES since the very first day I started working on ecosystem services. I was doing an internship in Wageningen University (NL) on the European project ‘Mapping and Assessing Ecosystem Services in Europe’ and I asked to specifically work on the Belgian case… that’s how I was put in touch with the BEES team.
Since then, I have been involved in several working groups: the MAES WG, the value WG, the agriculture WG, etc. I have also been involved in the implementation of the first BEES Christmas market and several other events. Today, being in the ‘torments’ of my PhD, I have stepped back a little. But this is only temporary; I look forward to engage again!

2. What has BEES brought to you?
Well, first of all, BEES gave me a job! Well, indirectly, but through networking. After one of the BEES meeting I attended during my internship, I met professor Marc Dufrêne working on ecosystem services and agroecology, the exact two topics I was dreaming to find a job in! A couple of months and e-mails later, he confirmed he could hire me for one year, then another six months, and finally we found a grant to finance a 4 years PhD!
Overall, for me, the networking has been the most beneficial part of being a BEES member. But not only for the professional network, also for the fun and friends’ network! The BEES community is a core of great people.

3. What are the challenges you face in your research?
My research is interdisciplinary and this brings a lot of challenges. These are of two kinds: methodological and institutional. For the methodology, the challenge is find methods and indicators which are sound and scientifically correct, while still giving a holistic view on the system (not talking about the time, resource and technical constraints). The institutional challenge relates to the collaboration with other expertise. Even within a same institution, competition is high and collaboration is not always easy. I think, this a drift of academic standards of fast accumulation of personal publications, which in my sense is incompatible with interdisciplinary science… A good debate to launch within the BEES community maybe?