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TitleINBO contactAbstractPromotor
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Increasing the effectiveness of Nature-based Solutions to boost societal transformationsSander JacobsThis research will be critically examining the real-world impact of nature-based solutions. NBS have become a popular way to showcase various projects positively, often associating them with numerous benefits. However, the actual delivery of these promised advantages is in question. To ensure the global relevance of this research, values outlined in international policy documents related to nature-based solutions, such as the SDG targets, the EU Green Deal, and IUCN, are translated into a practical framework for assessing projects, using specific and measurable parameters from different perspectives. This approach involves in-depth case studies allowing for the finetuning of the framework. These studies cover a range of urban projects in different cultures, each with unique project structures and governance contexts. In the final phase of the project, the framework will be applied to evaluate all NBS projects in Flanders, documented in the ATLAS project by INBO. This comprehensive evaluation will provide a scientifically reliable, evidence-based assessment of NBS projects in Flanders and offer clear guidance for future projects in the region. The research findings will be meticulously documented, providing valuable insights to policymakers and practitioners. By unraveling the intricate layers of plural valuation in the realm of NBS, the study will significantly contribute to the ongoing efforts aimed at building a more sustainable future.Francesc Baro, Asst. Professor at the Geography and Sociology Departments of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB).
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Nitrogen deposition and climate change as a deadly ‘cocktail’ for insects?
- Nettle feeding butterflies as model organisms
Dirk MaesSevere declines in insect numbers have been observed in several regions worldwide, with habitat loss and fragmentation, declining habitat quality, pollution and climate change as the assumed causes. In NW Europe, butterflies are among the best studied organisms and are often used as models to investigate the impact of pressures on biodiversity in general and insects in particular. In different assessments of the status of butterflies in NW Europe, some previously common and widespread species showed a strong decline in some regions, but remained stable in others (Aglais urticae and Araschnia levana), while other species remained stable or even strongly increased in numbers throughout NW Europe (Vanessa atalanta and Aglais io), despite the fact that they all feed on the same host plant, i.e., Common Nettle Urtica dioica and are exposed to the same climate. In this project, we will test to what degree the combination of nitrogen enrichment and climatic warming is impacting these four species differently. To do so, we will use both field data from a standardised monitoring program across Europe and experimental settings to test the effect of contrasting levels of (micro)climate and nitrogen deposition.Thomas Merckx (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) - Co-promotor:Hans Van Dyck (Université catholique de Louvain-la-Neuve)
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Fight or flight: urbanisation impact on mating strategies across differently-sized male European stag beetlesArno ThomaesDuring the last decades, growing urbanisation on our planet has undeniably induced negative impacts for our health, urban planning and environment. Detrimental environmental effects include habitat degradation and fragmentation, pollution and elevated temperatures. While it is known that these consequences of urban growth affect many faunal species demographically, here, we will investigate how urban driven stressors affect a model species genetically, ecologically and ethologically. The charismatic Lucanus cervus is characterized by a size-gradient within males. Low resource quality leads to minors, as it leads to smaller body size with lower ‘investments’ in mandibles. While the adult morphology has been well studied, the ecological advantage of minors is speculative as is the relation between habitat quality and investment ratios. By thoroughly analysing males of urban and natural populations across their size-gradient we aim to uncover the complete mechanism underlying this gradient. We will first demonstrate the influence of urban origin, temperature and nitrogen content on larval morphological development. Behavioural and anatomical comparisons between differently-sized males of urban and natural population origin will show if urban populations display adapted mate-location strategies. Based on the previous findings, an urbanisation index will be constructed for a multitude of European cities to asses and improve the conservation of L. cervus in urban habitats. Overall, this research will show how urban-driven stressors can affect size-gradients, morphologies and behaviours. Such insights are needed to mitigate population impacts on saproxylic arthropods within urban environments while maintaining sufficient morphological and behavioural diversity.Begeleiding bestaat uit prof. Thomas Merckx (VUB) en prof. Marcos Méndez (URJC) als co-promotor.
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Global change impacts on distributional ranges and body sizes within saproxylic beetle communitiesArno ThomaesInsect populations have been facing alarming declines in recent decades due to a multitude of anthropogenic stressors including climate change, habitat loss, pesticide use, eutrophication, and others. The effects of these declines can ripple throughout ecosystems with potential catastrophic effects on all trophic levels. Saproxylic beetles represent a highly threatened yet important group that performs valuable ecosystem services like nutrient cycling and providing nutrition for insectivorous vertebrates. Furthermore, they represent different trophic levels and guilds and large size variations within and among species. The aim of this study is to unravel if and how global change impacts leads to community and species generalisation. Occupancy information of a great number of taxa is readily available in online databases in the form of citizen scientist observations on an unprecedentedly large scale. By using these data to construct state of the art species distribution models (SDM’s), impacts of anthropogenic stressors on distributional ranges, population densities and population stress indicators can be analysed. Apart from distributional shifts, populations under anthropogenic stress are likely to exhibit morphological changes. Among other effects, populations in urbanised environments or under extreme climatic conditions are expected to have decreased body size. Additionally, in populations of armed species like the European stag beetle (Lucanus cervus), a relative reduction in mandible size is thought to be a sign of stress. A machine learning algorithm will be used to extract morphometrical data from citizen science photographs. Since absolute values cannot be obtained from these photographs, mandible/body length and body length/width ratios will be used. These data will be supplemented by measurements of collection specimens to examine effects of global change on morphology along a larger timescale.Begeleiding bestaat uit prof. Merckx (VUB) en prof. Erik Matthysen (UA) als co-promotor
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Updating the BVM through the complementary use of remote sensing and artificial intelligenceStien HeremansThe Biological Valuation Map (BVM), produced by the Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO) is Flanders’ most important area-covering data layer for land cover, land use, biotopes and vegetation types. The BVM contributes to every phase of the environmental policy cycle, from policy preparation - nature inventory - through policy implementation - nature conservation - to policy evaluation - nature monitoring. The instrument is also constantly used by local administrations to support their spatial planning. Moreover, the BVM is an important input for ecosystem accounting, which is an essential element of the EU’s Nature Restoration Law. However, in a survey conducted in 2018 local administrations indicated that it is important for this map to be up-to-date and accurate in order to be useful. Unfortunately, for the majority of the Flemish territory the first updates of the BVM already date of 20 years ago. Recently, only Special Protection Zones (12% of the Flemish territory) have been rigorously updated.
The production of a timely, area-covering BVM with a six-year revisit time would require the employment of at least 15 full-time field surveyors. This high manual burden could be more than halved if parts of the updating process was partly automated.
Aim
This PhD aims to develop workflow for updating the BVM using a wide range of remote sensing data, ranging from images captured by satellites, over aircrafts to drones, and making use of artificial intelligence workflows.
Opportunity
The Copernicus program, funded by the European Commission and the European Space Agency (ESA), provides a range of satellite missions that collect freely available satellite images. Since 2016, the optical Sentinel-2 mission as well as the radar Sentinel-1 mission have been fully operational. This provides a huge opportunity for a more efficient monitoring of our natural environment. Moreover, the rise of artificial intelligence (deep learning) in the domain of land cover classification is an opportunity for the (semi-) automated mapping.
Methodology
This PhD consists of two separate parts. In the first part, Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 images will be fused to create dense time series of vegetation indices. Time series analyses will then be applied on the resulting dataset to detect disturbances and trends in vegetation characteristics linked to changes in habitat type and/or conservation status. Based on the specific change trajectories linked to the detected change areas, spatial priorities for updating the BVM can finally be determined. In the second part, the added value of artificial intelligence workflows for an automated update of the BVM (in the priority areas detected in the first part) will be assessed. These workflows make use of existing spatially-explicit deep learning algorithms that allow for the detection of specific BVM classes from very high resolution imagery like UAV or airborne images.		Ben Somers (KULeuven)
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Subject related to FWO-SBO proposal "Decision tool with Inclusive approach (multistakeholders, species, zoning) to Evaluate Trade-offs between wildlife management & conservation": "Towards a better integration of multi-species interactions in wildlife decision-making"Jim CasaerHet doctoraat zet in op een specifiek deel van het vorig jaar ingediende project FWO-SBO project "Decision tool with Inclusive approach (multistakeholders, species, zoning". Dit project werd niet gegund, ondermeer omdat het te breed van scope bevonden werd. In dit doctoraat willen we vooral inzetten op 1 van de aspecten van het voorstel, met name het integreren van multispecies interacties in besluitvorming rond faunabeheer (in de breedste zin" Er zal ism Sterling University verder gewerkt worden rond de bestaande GMSE tool en voornamelijk aan de ontwikkeling van kennis voor de bouwsteen "natural resources". Er zal hiervoor gewerkt worden met een aantal typische soorteninteracties (predator-prooi, symbiose, concurentie voor voedsel) en deze zullen aan de hand van een aantal cases verder uitgewerkt en toegepast worden (wolf- herbivoren - natuurlijke vegetatie, damhert - reewild, ...). Op dit moment ontbreekt de wetenschappelijke kennis over de mogelijke gevolgen van het integreren van multispecies interacties in besluitvorming en dit zowel voor wat betreft de complexiteit van de besluitvorming als mogelijke andere uitkomsten in vergelijking tot klassieke single species scenario's die ad-hoc of achteraf gecombineerd worden in uiteindelijke multispecies besluitvorming. Natalie Beenaerts UHasselt / Herwig Leirs (UAntwerpern) en Nils Bunnefeld (Sturling)
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The effective population size for biodiversity monitoring: from habitat mapping to citizen science and genomic approachesJoachim MergeayThe effective population size is a key parameter in evolutionary biology, as it determines the rate of inbreeding, genetic drift and influences the evolutionary potential of populations. It is recognized internationally as an essential variable in the long-term survival of populations, and has been adopted by the Convention on Biological Diversity as a primary indicator for genetic diversity monitoring. Although there are many analytical tools to estimate Ne, there are major obstacles to the routine implementation of Ne monitoring for biodiversity monitoring. Genetic monitoring is labour-intensive and costly. There are hundreds of species that require reporting, and thousands of populations for which estimates are useful. Also, Ne is difficult to estimate in many species, not in the least due to violation of model assumptions.

It is possible to use non-genetic proxies of the effective size (Mastretta et al. 2023), but there is a dire need to identify when these proxies are useful and when we need actual genetic data. Secondly, Ne estimates can be very biased when model assumptions are violated, as a result of which it becomes hard to trust published data.

In this PhD, we want to test, improve and further deploy the usefulness of proxies of Ne, and provide a robust framework for proxy-based and molecular monitoring of Ne across the tree of life. 		TBD KULeuven (Prof Hugo Gante)
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Development of a model-based water management tool to improve fish migration in characteristic Flemish landscapesPieterjan VerhelstIn Europe at least one million water regulating structures fragment our waterways and therefore hamper fish migration by acting as fish migration barriers. These structures consist of weirs, water pumps, hydropower and shipping locks to name the most important ones for Belgium. Because it is not always possible to remove these barriers, another form of mititigation is necessary to allow fish migration and restore our freshwater and diadromous fish populations which are at a historical low. In this PhD study, a model will be developed to predict the moments of downstream eel (Anguilla anguilla) migration. We choose this species because it is critically endangered, is considered a flagship species for migratory fish and at INBO we have substantial telemetry datasets in different types of environments (i.e. polder area, shipping canal, river and estuary). Specifically, this PhD will use the spatio-temporal detailed telemetry data and link them to environmental parameters (e.g. discharge, precipitation and circadian phases) to predict silver eel escapement and develop a mechanistic model tool.Prof. dr. Ir. Jan Baetens (Department of Data analysis and mathematical modelling, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, UGhent)
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