At the heart of two green spaces in the Province of Namur

This article was produced for the "Impact" section of Omalius magazine #32, March 2024.

On the communes of Couvin, Viroinval, Momignies, Froidchapelle and Chimay lies the Entre Sambre et Meuse National Park (ESEM), a place brimming with geological sites to be enhanced. With its expertise in geography, geology and biodiversity conservation, UNamur is one of its partners and will make its knowledge and experience available to promote and preserve this exceptional natural heritage.

ESEM's geological heritage offers a remarkable diversity of rocks, minerals and fossils, shaping the local landscape for millions of years. Resources once exploited, now abandoned but still present in the region. Beyond scientific discovery, the aim of the Geology Department's participation is to capitalize on these past exploitations to raise public awareness of the importance of today's mineral resources in everyday life. By using the park as an awareness-raising platform, and involving geology bachelor students in particular, educational tools will be developed to illustrate the link between geology and sustainable development.

As part of this partnership, several activities will be offered: the creation of cycling and walking itineraries, the provision of geologist's backpacks for safe and instructive exploration, or tours organized in collaboration with guides from Cercles Naturalistes de Belgique and UNamur.

Nicolas Dendoncker, head of the Geography Department, is a member of the ESEM National Park scientific committee. Today, he is supervising the doctoral thesis of Wim Kuypers, a co-tutored student at Hasselt University. Together, they will be analyzing the various interactions between large fauna (roe deer, deer, wild boar) and humans in two national parks, the Upper Kempen in Flanders and ESEM. Their objective: to understand these interactions in order to ensure harmonious cohabitation within the two parks.

"In the first instance, we are collecting data to assess the presence of humans", explains the researcher.

These data, once collected, will enable researchers to establish relational links between species, in order to optimize the management of ecotourism flows within the park.

Located in the heart of the Condruzian countryside, the Domaine d'Haugimont lies in the commune of Gesves, 18 km from Namur. A veritable learning, experimentation and research ground, it also contributes to training projects in the areas of public schooling, continuing teacher training, agronomy, forest management and animal husbandry. Several study programs include field visits to Haugimont as part of course units: in veterinary medicine, biology and ecology, environmental history, geography or smart rurality.

Since 2013, the Campus Namur Durable (CaNDLE) calls have enabled the realization of eco-responsible initiatives likely to improve the sustainable character of the campus or university activity. Several projects are linked to the Domaine d'Haugimont. Among them, the UNature project aims to raise awareness of biodiversity by observing the animals present on the estate through the installation of solar-powered cameras. Deer, roe deer, wild boar, beavers, raccoons, nesting birds... are just some of the animals that will be able to be observed.

The Domaine d'Haugimont is also home to a center dedicated to the study of sheep, comprising two entities. The educational farm, accessible to veterinary students from the 1st year of their bachelor's degree, enables them to establish the link between theory and practice. The Centre de Recherches Ovines (CRO) of the NARILIS Institute occupies 55 hectares of meadows and has a flock of around 200 ewes. It contributes to several lines of research conducted within the Integrated Veterinary Research Unit (URVI).

This article is taken from the "Impact" section of Omalius#32 magazine (March 2024).