2010, Year of Biodiversity

This page has been automatically translated from French into English by a translation software. Automatic translations are not as accurate as translations made by professional human translators. Nevertheless these pages can help you understand information published by the City of Brussels.

   

Biodiversity is the variety of life in the world. It contains life in all its forms:

• living species (animals, men, mushrooms, plants)
• their genes
• their ecosystem

These natural resources allow the balance of everyday life of mankind. The biodiversity supplies everything at the same time: food, firewood, energy, absorption of CO2,... Today, this variety is threatened. The City of Brussels takes initiatives to protect this balance, via its sustainable development policy and more particularly its Agenda 21.

Brussels, a green city

The City of Brussels counts on its territory:

• 230 parks and public gardens
• about 200 streets and avenues with thousands of trees of 80 different sorts
• tens of sorts of mammals, birds and amphibians

The unit Eco-Consulting of the City of Brussels uses this international Year of Biodiversity to propose activities about the development of the biodiversity in a city.

Actions

Bags of seeds

Free distribution to the inhabitants of bags of seeds of nectar plants, to encourage bees to settle down in the city. The distribution will be organized during the 'Day of the Parks in Brussels' on 15 May 2010 and during the conferences-meetings Tuesdays of the Environment.

Walks in nature

The City also organizes walks in Brussels from April to October 2010. These walks allow to discover the biological variety and the wealth of the green spaces and parks in Brussels.

Brussels in flowers

A special prize on 'biodiversity' is going to be rewarded at the contest 'Brussels in flowers'. This contest takes place each year during summer. The participation is free and open to all.

Installation of nest boxes

Birds do not have enough natural habitat in Brussels. Therefore, the city installs 50 nest boxes in the Parc de Bruxelles, 20 in the Egmont park, 30 in the Maximilien park and on certain trees.

Ecological management of parks

The Green Spaces unit maintains the parks in an ecological way, leaving space for the native sorts. For example, the management of the Maximilien park will be changed with a flowery meadow. In the Val du Bois des Béguines, certain trees will be brought down and replaced by other sorts.