INSTITUTE OF NATURAL SCIENCES
Operational Directorate Natural Environment
MARECO – Marine Ecology and Management
SWiM SWiM – Solar and Wind in the Belgian Marine Zone – will conduct research on the combination of marine technologies in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Belgium, in particular to integrate Offshore Floating Photovoltaics (OFPV) in wind farms in an ecologically sustainable way. On the one hand, the project will investigate the technical performance…
AgroSERV The AgroServ project contributes to the future of agriculture by bringing together a wide range of services and resources for agricultural research, including marine aquaculture activities. Focus is on supporting research in sustainable and resilient agriculture, emphasizing the ‘one health’ approach. The project joints 73 partners offering a total of 143 research services, accessible…
Aquaserv Aquaserv brings together six European research infrastructures to provide services in the fields of sustainable aquaculture, fisheries and the blue economy. The project offers more then 100 customised services across Europe to advance research on marine and freshwater biological resources, food an biotechnology. Services are available through transnational or virtual access. Withing Aquaserv, RBINS…
BENTHIC CHANGE Offshore wind farms are proliferating fast to increase the share of renawable energy use. While the first and most intense developments were in the North Sea, offshore wind farms are currently being installed in the marine environment of the United States a. Therefore, this project this proposal, we will synthesize information from current…
BLUE CONNECT The BLUE CONNECT project aims to protect and restore marine habitats to achieve EU and global conservation goals by 2030. Collaborating with Marine Protected Areas managers, authorities, industries, and local communities from several demonstration sites, it will develop a systematic approach to marine conservation implementation. This effort will create a robust blueprint for…
PHAROS: Lighthouse for Atlantic and Arctic Basin Climate change, biodiversity loss and urbanization are some of the main challenges that the marine realm faces. The Pharos Project will provide tailored nature-based solutions for restoration of marine biodiversity and ecosystems, support the reduction of invasive marine species and advance the technology readiness level across the Atlantic…
EMERGENCY PLAN for Monitoring & Assessment Marine Environmental Impact in Marine Pollution Under the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), EU member states are required to monitor & assess the environmental impact of significant acute pollution at sea (mostly incidental marine pollution). Monitoring & assessment of incidental marine pollution are emergency measures that are an…
OWiDEx – Offshore Wind Decommissioning Expertise Centre Belgium is among the world leaders in the installation & maintenance of offshore wind farms. The decommissioning of the first offshore wind turbines is in sight. The knowledge already acquired about the decom value chain is fragmented, making a supported vision seem far away. This project will put all the separate elements…
ULTFARMS ULTFARMS aims to demonstrate a profitable, sustainable and eco-friendly low-trophic food (molluscs and seaweed) production from offshore aquaculture activities shared within windfarms in the North Sea and Baltic Sea. Six pilots will be implemented that combine low-trophic aquaculture (LTA) in six different offshore windfarms (OWF) across four northern European countries: Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands…
Environmental Impact Monitoring Numerous human activities take place in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Several of these activities, depending on the extent and type of the project, require an environmental permit as stated by law. This environmental permit includes a number of terms and conditions intended to minimise and/or mitigate the impact of…
