Discovering biodiversity
Discovering biodiversity
Our planet is inhabited by thousands of species, but many have yet to be discovered. Since species are the fundamental building blocks of ecosystems, knowing them is essential to understanding how our living planet works.
Our scientists use the extensive collections to explore the hidden biodiversity of plants, algae, and mushrooms in Belgium, Africa, and other regions in the world.
They combine classic methods, such as morphology, histology, and anatomy, with modern techniques, including scanning electron microscopy, digital imaging, and molecular techniques.
The aim is to achieve a globally accepted, stable, and scientific ordering of all life forms in a system that reflects their evolutionary origin.
Our biodiversity research is organized in the following themes:
- Taxonomy of plants, fungi and algae
- Flora of Belgium
- African Flora's
- Flore d'Afrique centrale (Flora of Central Africa)
- Flore du Gabon (in cooperation with Naturalis)
- Fungus flora of tropical Africa