Géraldine Mertens

Géraldine holds a degree in Marine and Lacustrine Sciences and Management. Through her studies and various international internships, she has developed her expertise in conservation biology and ecosystem management. She is eager to apply this knowledge to develop strategies for managing ecosystems and their resources, addressing their relationship with societal needs and impacts, and ensuring their preservation.

Function

Currently, Géraldine is working as the "infraFADA" project manager at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS).

Current Project(s)

The project infraFADA (Upgrading the taxonomic backbone of global freshwater animal biodiversity research infrastructures) is funded by the Belgian Science Policy (BELSPO).

This project sets out to re-start the work of a FADA (The Freshwater Animal Diversity Assessment) consortium of taxonomic experts. It aims to provide updated global taxonomic lists (species, genera) on freshwater animals. We are developing a set of tools that will allow the management of the data and the upgrade all FADA checklists. These checklists will be made available to the public in open access and will be used by scientists or different stakeholders. They will also serve as taxonomic backbone for a variety of global biodiversity infrastructures.

Link to the project description: https://www.naturalsciences.be/en/science/research/biodiversity-in-a-changing-world/projects/infrafada

As the project manager of infraFADA, Géraldine's main tasks include:

• Assistance in re-building the FADA taxonomic experts consortium and coordination of all communications
• Organisation of data collation among the taxonomic experts
• Taxonomic data management including co-development of a data workflow
• Organisation of project meetings
• Outreach activities including social media presence and website
• Project reporting and outreach

Area of Expertise

Géraldine's main expertise is in Conservation Biology and Ecosystem Management that expands on the knowledge of marine and lacustrine biodiversity and ecological processes. She has extensive communication (both oral and written), social and organizational skills. She has been trained to evaluate the impact of resources exploitation and management.

Professional Experience

Géraldine has extensive experience in marine research, fieldwork, and community engagement. She has contributed to multiple conservation projects worldwide. Her work includes research on sharks, turtles, rays, and coral restoration, with LaMaVe, Sharklab Malta, Reef Renewal Foundation Bonaire, and Innoceana.
She has conducted biodiversity surveys, marine species monitoring, and public awareness initiatives. She has been trained to actively engage the local communities in a multicultural context through different activities and raise awareness of environmental issues among people from different disciplines and backgrounds.
Skilled in scientific diving, data analysis, and social media content creation.

Dissemination activities

Publications:

Léa de Gobert, Maya Schrödl, & Géraldine Mertens, 2018. «L’Antarctique: explorations belges d’hier et d’aujourd’hui», Science Connection, n°58, pp 6-9.

Presentations/talks:

Géraldine Mertens, Astrid Schmidt-Kloiber & Koen Martens, 2024. infraFADA: Upgrading the taxonomic backbone of global freshwater animal biodiversity research infrastructures. Benelux Zoology Congress (BZS), Mons (Belgium), 12-13 December, 2024.

Video (interview):

https://youtu.be/-hHR3Sd-PRo?si=BWbZiYlumX0TwePD