EDIT Public Awareness Workshop, Brussels, March 2008 The 2010 programme of activities at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences Anne Franklin and Charlotte Degueldre 2010 Coordination Team Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences

EDIT Public Awareness Workshop, Brussels, March 2008 The 2010 context 1.International Year of Biological Diversity 2.RBINS is Belgian National Focal Point to the Convention on Biological Diversity 3.Belgian Presidency of European Union

EDIT Public Awareness Workshop, Brussels, March 2008 Activities Programme preparation 2008: inventory of activities/events Inform Raise awareness Engage people Objectives Timing School year Seasons EU Presidency Audiences Schools Families Scientists Policy-makers Fields Education Collections Research Expertise

EDIT Public Awareness Workshop, Brussels, March 2008 Examples of activities -New permanent exhibition hall -Biodiversity in urban areas (man-made environments) -650 m² -Opening September Temporary exhibition -Whales -Corner on marine biodiversity of Belgium -October May 2010 Museum

EDIT Public Awareness Workshop, Brussels, March 2008 Examples of activities -Educational support to the new permanent exhibition (Guided tours, didactical material, animations, kids’ website) -Travelling exhibition ‘Biodiversity in Brussels’ -BioGeoSafari trail game in Brussels -Engagement campaign ‘I give life to my planet’ -Biodiversity Almanac ‘365 actions for biodiversity’ Education

EDIT Public Awareness Workshop, Brussels, March 2008 Examples of activities -Communication of research: ‘stories’ and ‘portraits’ -Tools for biodiversity exploration (e.g. canopies – ‘Bretzel’) -Diversity of biodiversity issues (e.g. bugs for drugs) -Biodiversity professions (e.g. taxonomist, exhibition developer) Research

EDIT Public Awareness Workshop, Brussels, March 2008 Examples of activities -Expedition along Congo River : Kisangani-Kinshasa -Biodiversity inventories coupled to capacity building in taxonomy -Synergies -3 BE-TAF institutions: RBINS, RMCA-Tervuren, NBGB-Meise -University of Kisangani -February – March 2010 Congo River Exploration IBY years DR Congo independence 100 years RMCA

EDIT Public Awareness Workshop, Brussels, March 2008 Examples of activities -10th CoP of the Convention on Biological Diversity -Meeting of the European Platform for Biodiversity Research Strategy -Register of species living in Belgium -EDIT final restitution meeting Expertise

EDIT Public Awareness Workshop, Brussels, March 2008 Timeline Int’l biodiversity day - 22 May * Opening urban biodiversity exhibition EDIT final meeting? EPBRS meeting? ** Launch Almanac? Opening whales exhibition * Launch register of species? * Congo Expedition CBD COP-10 BioGeoSafari Engagement campaign Itinerary exhibition in Brussels? Communicating research?

EDIT Public Awareness Workshop, Brussels, March 2008 Further information Anne Franklin and Charlotte Degueldre