Promoting biodiversity

In parallel with a reflection on how to integrate sustainable development issues into research activities, some projects aim to contribute to promoting biodiversity on the Namur campus. Two apiaries were thus created in May 2022, one in the garden of the Carmel student residence in Jambes, the other at the Sheep Research Center at the Haugimont Estate.

The first one is the result of the CaNDLE project "May'AGE", initiated within the Service Vie de la Communauté Universitaire (VÉCU) and supported by the Students General Assembly  (AGE) in partnership with Camille Calicis, researcher at the Department of Education and Technology (IRDENa institute) and trainer in beekeeping Located in the heart of Jambes, in the garden of the UNamur residence, this apiary is intended to be a tool for raising students' awareness of the importance of pollinating insects and respect for ecosystems. The horizontal, glassed-in hive allows for optimal observation in complete safety. It is home to an endangered native bee species, the black bee. Awareness-raising activities will be organised next academic year, in collaboration with the Project Students Residences (KàP).

About fifteen kilometres to the south, four beehives have been installed in the countryside of Gijon, at Haugimont, the rural campus of UNamur. This estate of some 360 hectares has a wide variety of biotopes (woodlands, orchards, meadows, hedges, etc.) and is a field of application for the teaching and research of several departments, in particular the Department of Veterinary Medicine, which runs the Sheep Research Center (CRO) there. Christine Baricalla and François Damien, technicians at the CRO and experienced beekeepers, take care of the bees that have joined the cohort of animals already present on the site (sheep, donkeys, etc.).

An educational apiary

"The apiary could be a place for veterinary students to learn about the workings of the bee world as part of their work and for the public to see during events," says Christine Baricalla. François Damien adds: "When we talk to the students, they are really interested in understanding how a hive is organised, the tasks reserved for the different members of the colony and the crucial role that bees play in the ecosystem and crop production. "We can also imagine an interest in research, for example on the virtues of honey and propolis in veterinary or human medicine, in collaboration with other departments at the university," adds Christine Baricalla. The honey produced could be used within the university as part of a circular and responsible production process.

The creation of the apiary is financed thanks to the generosity of a former student of the Department of Veterinary Medicine.