Aiden Hendrickx
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Research Associate Africa Projects |
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My work focuses on Meise Botanic Garden’s projects in Africa, specifically in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I collaborate on projects that bridge the gap between science and the field, where we combine research with the implementation of our expertise to support sustainable development. The projects focus on reforestation and agroforestry around Virunga National Park (North Kivu province), and on Robusta coffee agroforestry in the Yangambi area (Tshopo province). In Yangambi, we are working on the conservation of Robusta coffee genetic resources and the evaluation of their quality and production potential. At the same time, we are promoting sustainable agricultural practices such as agroforestry, improving the climate resilience and carbon storage of local agriculture.
Aside from my work in the DR Congo, I have a general interest in wild relatives of tropical crops such as coffee and bananas. I am particularly focused on the population genetics and phylogeography of wild banana relatives in Papua New Guinea and Australia.
Qualifications
Degrees
- MSc Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, KU Leuven, 2023
- BSc Biology, KU Leuven, 2021
Projects
- CliMA Virunga: Climate Mitigation and Adaptation around Virunga National Park
- ClimCoff: Climate Adaptation, Carbon Fixation and Sustainable Development by Robusta Coffee Agroforestry in and around Yangambi (DR Congo)
- CoffeeBridge: Bridging Knowledge to the Field
- FORETS: Formation, Recherche et Environnement dans la Tshopo
Publications
FRIS Research Portal
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