What does capacity building mean exactly? We offer young scientists the possibility to acquire new skills and techniques and to compare their research material e.g. a collection of insects or fish with the specimens kept at the RBINS, universities or other research institutions in Belgium thanks to short term grants via the GTI (Global Taxonomy Initiative). We also fund in situ training sessions in our partner countries to train rangers, students and young researchers on ecology, taxonomy, ecosystem services and to prepare the next generation of scientists in the South to conserve and sustainably use and manage biodiversity.

We train and support national focal points in partner countries for creating, upgrading and maintaining their own websites and information sharing strategies (the ‘Clearing House Mechanism’).

Our partners in the South also get the possibility to set up projects to raise the awareness of the public, schools and decision makers. We also contribute to spreading knowledge in Belgium about the link between biodiversity loss and poverty in the South.

We seek to integrate as much as possible the ideas, concepts and principles of biodiversity conservation and sustainable management linked to poverty reduction into policy decisions at all levels of governance in Belgium, Europe, the United Nations and national governments (this process is called ‘mainstreaming’).

We support our partners in the South with the development of indicators and reporting systems at universities, ministries and their agencies.

We explain the function and consequences of the ‘Nagoya protocol’ in Belgium and in the South, which is about the fair access and benefits of sharing of genetic resources: how can the South benefit from its high variety of plants, animals and ecosystems, and traditional knowledge, without being exploited by the rich industrialised world?