The Pairi Daiza Foundation and the Royal Belgian Zoological Society join forces to offer a scholarship in favor of biodiversity and the conservation of species
Actively participating in the conservation of species and playing a leading role in the preservation of biodiversity are essential missions for a growing number of zoos around the world. To this end, the Pairi Daiza Foundation and the Royal Belgian Zoological Society are joining forces to offer a grant aimed at encouraging research carried out in this direction in zoos. The call for projects opens on March 10, 2022 and closes on August 30, 2022.
Sharing the same missions of protecting biodiversity and promoting scientific research, the Pairi Daiza Foundation and the Royal Belgian Zoological Society will support the work of a young researcher. This researcher will be a master’s student, a doctoral student or post-doctoral student (maximum 5 years of seniority after obtaining their thesis). The call is international. The full rules are available here: www.RBZS.be
The project will focus on a research topic related to the conservation of biodiversity. The project will involve one or more zoos including, systematically, Pairi Daiza; Projects involving the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) are strongly encouraged to participate.
The announcement of the winner will take place during the annual congress of the Royal Belgian Zoological Society, on September 22, 2022. He/She will receive an amount of €2,500.
The research supported by the grant will be the subject of communication to the public. This communication is fully in line with one of the common missions of the Pairi Daiza Foundation and the Royal Belgian Zoological Society, namely, to make known scientific progress that can help conserve terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity.
Optimizing efforts to benefit biodiversity
The Royal Belgian Zoological Society (www.RBZS.be), whose origins date back to 1863, is dedicated to the promotion of zoology and the publication of zoological research. It brings together and brings together scientists working in all disciplines concerning the animal world (e.g. systematics, morphology, molecular biology, physiology, ecology, evolution). It also organizes several activities each year for young researchers and an annual international congress in collaboration with the Royal Dutch Zoological Society. It publishes, with the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, the University Foundation and the FNRS, the Belgian Journal of Zoology, an open-access scientific journal, internationally recognized (https://www.belgianjournalofzoology.eu/BJZ).
Established in 2015, the Pairi Daiza Foundation was born from the desire to draw attention to the treasure that is the biodiversity that surrounds us, to create a stronger attachment to nature and to arouse, in everyone, a sustainable commitment. for its preservation. Its missions revolve around 5 main areas for which it is necessary to act as a priority:
- The protection of habitats for their conservation and rehabilitation with a view to the natural recolonization of species
- The reintroduction of animal and plant species in their original biotope
- Support for scientific research
- The protection and enhancement of world cultural heritage
- The refuge for abandoned or seized reptiles and amphibians
Eric Domb, founding president of Pairi Daiza: “Support for scientific research is an integral part of Pairi Daiza’s missions. We are convinced that the presence of animals in zoos must be synonymous with scientific progress beneficial to endangered species. The scientific advances made possible by “ex-situ” research programs are, in the long term, favorable for the protection of threatened species “in situ”.
The Pairi Daiza Foundation already supports scientific research for the benefit of different species. To find a solution against the elephant herpes virus, to better understand the reproduction of giant pandas, to assess the impact of global warming on the way of life of polar bears and to optimize the carrying out of biological inventories based on the environmental DNA.
The research grant proposed today with the Royal Belgian Zoological Society is a new action for the benefit of the conservation and protection of species.
CONTACT RBZS
- Press: Frédéric Silvestre, President: frederic.silvestre@namur.be
- Practical information and applications: Gilles Lepoint, Secretary: g.lepoint@uliege.be