Treaties & Conventions
The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences plays an important role among Europe’s major natural history museums, working together with its many international partners on every level.
The RBINS coordinates and collaborates on a number of European research projects. Via major consortiums, it helps to establish platforms where knowledge, data and services concerning geology, marine science and taxonomy are exchanged and made accessible, supporting national, European and international policy with reliable and relevant scientific knowledge. Another of the RBINS’s directives is to develop projects connecting science and society via its museum and other public-oriented services. To this end, it collaborates with national and international partners, museums, science centres and networks. You can find more information about our international collaborations below.
UN Convention on Biological Diversity
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was opened for signature in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, aiming to protect global diversity of ecosystems, species and genes. The convention has three aims: the preservation of biodiversity, its sustainable exploitation and the equitable distribution of the benefits of the world’s genetic resources. So far, the Convention has been signed by 193 countries as well as the EU. Each country must designate a Focal Point to stimulate the implementation of the Convention.
Belgium’s designated Focal Point for the CBD is the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences. To this end, it has, together with regional CBD Focal Points, taken up a number of tasks, including the coordination of the National Strategy for Biodiversity, reporting on the functioning of the Convention in Belgium, and guiding policymaking at multiple levels of government. Via its permanent and temporary exhibitions as well as public-oriented services, the Institute also organises training programmes and raises awareness on the topic of biodiversity.
Moreover, the RBINS is implementing a programme supporting the study, knowledge, awareness, protection and sustainable exploitation of biodiversity in partner countries of the Belgian development cooperation, thereby contributing to sustainable development.
Aside from the National Focal Point for the Convention, the RBINS houses another four related focal points. These are the CBD’s information mechanism, namely the Clearing House Mechanism (CHM), the focal point for Marine and Coastal Biodiversity (MAR NFP), the Global Taxonomy Initiative (GTI) and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) of the Convention.
Would you like more information? Please do not hesitate to contact the National Focal Point for Biodiversity.
Contact:
CBD National Focal Point: Hendrik Segers
Clearing House Mechanism focal point: Han de Koeijer
Global Taxonomic Initiative focal point: Pierre Huybrechts
SBSTTA: Hendrik Segers
Development cooperation programme focal point: Luc Janssens de Bisthoven
CITES Convention
CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement intended to combat the illegal trade in endangered plant and animal species. Various scientists from the RBINS serve on the board of CITES and provide advice and technical support to policy makers. In addition, our scientists are consulted during actions by the police or customs to determine violations and identify intercepted species.
OSPAR Convention
With this convention 15 countries near the western coasts of Europe and the EU protect the various unique and fragile marine areas of the northwest Atlantic Ocean. Working from the RBINS, the Directorate Natural Environment brings this convention into practice. For instance, with the oceanographic vessel Belgica continually monitors the quality of the Belgian part of the North Sea and plays an important role in the scientific frame of the convention.
The OSPAR Commission also issues publications providing background information and special reports. Every 10 years a Quality Status Report (QRS) is drawn up, which provides general assessments of the marine environment and the impact of human activities. Most recent QRS (2010) evaluates the efficiency of the actions that were undertaken to protect the marine environment. This allows us to adapt our priorities and assure an adapted protection of the area.
Contactperson: Patrick Roose
CMS (Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals) or Bonn Convention
The Bonn Convention, negotiated in 1979, is under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme, has been signed by over 120 States to date. The purpose of the convention is the conservation of migratory animals and their habitats. The RBINS has an advisory role in relation to the convention, particularly on the conservation of land mammals, and various programmes for the conservation of migratory species and their habitats have been initiated and coordinated by our Directorate Natural Environment. The Directorate Natural Environment is also involved in this convention in relation to migratory animals in the North Sea (including small and large species of cetaceans) and carries out work based on specially drawn-up treaties, such as ASCOBANS.
Contactperson: Roseline C. Beudels-Jamar
London Convention
The London Convention (in full ‘the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter’) has been signed by 87 states. Our Directorate Natural Environment performs tasks in this context including monitoring and investigating the dumping of dredged material at sea. In practice, this implies charting dredging sites, maintaining statistics on quantities of dredged material and the development of a sediment transport model, among other tasks.
Contactperson: Brigitte Lauwaert
MARPOL
MARPOL stands for 'marine pollution' and was established to prevent the pollution by ships (by fuels, harmful substances on board, sewage, etc.). Our Directorate Natural Environment carries out active aerial surveillance from military reconnaissance aircraft to track pollution at sea and along the Belgian coast, and to actively pursue polluters.
Contactperson: Ronny Schallier
ASCOBANS
ASCOBANS (Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas) was set up in 1991 under the auspices of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS or Bonn Convention) and came into force in 1994. By-catch, pollution and other threats had to be tackled in a co-ordinated effort. Our Directorate Natural Environment organises an intervention network that is responsible for scientific research on mammals and birds that wash up on beaches or are killed as by-catch.
Contactperson: Jan Haelters
Bonn Agreement
This convention was drawn up in 1983 as a reaction to the disaster with the Torry Canyon in 1967, in which 117,000 tonnes of oil were spilt into the sea. The convention has been signed by Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the UK and the European Union. The disaster made those countries aware of the far-reaching consequences of such an event and of the necessity of international cooperation. The convention includes coordinated air control, an information exchange, common exercises and mutual support in case of disasters. Our Directorate Natural Environment takes on the execution of some aspects in the convention, such as organising control flights and marine exercises. It works closely together with partners in the coastguard to fulfil this aim.
Contactperson: Ronny Schallier
Scheldt/Maas Treaty
Both the River Scheldt and the Maas (Meuse) have their source in France, run through Belgium and the Netherlands and finally flow into the North Sea. To promote sustainable and integrated water management, which aims among other things to improve water quality, treaties have been signed concerning both rivers between the various levels of government in Belgium, France and the Netherlands. Our Directorate Natural Environment is a partner in the execution of monitoring programmes in the Scheldt basin. This happens in cooperation with the Belgian regions and France, within the international Scheldt Commission. Recently those programmes were brought in line with the stipulations of the Water Framework Directive of the European Commission.
Contactperson: Patrick Roose
IPBES
The Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) was established in April 2012 in Panama by 94 UN Member States, to protect the planet’s biodiversity, its ecosystems and the services they provide to humanity. It provides a mechanism that should enable both the scientific and policy communities to synthesise, review, assess and critically evaluate relevant information and knowledge generated worldwide by governments, academia, scientific organisations, non-governmental organisations and indigenous communities. IPBES is unique in that it aims to strenghten the capacity for the effective use of science in decision-making at all levels. By doing so, it hopes to gain similar global scientific authority and policy influences for biodiversity to what the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has for climate change. Being part of our Directorate Natural environment, the Belgian Biodiversity Platform is taking a leading role in coordinating IPBES-related tasks for Belgium (one of the founding members). It hosts the IPBES national focal point, and runs several Belgian scientific networks in support of the IPBES work, such as
Contactperson: Hilde Eggermont