Living Lab Projects
1. Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functions
Insect biodiversity are fundamental components of ecosystem functioning and sustainability. Insects contribute critically to pollination, herbivory regulation, nutrient cycling, and food-web dynamics, directly supporting plant productivity and ecosystem stability. The interactions between above and belowground insect communities create integrated ecological processes that enhance ecosystem resilience, productivity, and resistance to environmental disturbances. Advancing knowledge of insect diversity is essential for understanding ecosystem responses to land-use change, climate variability, and biodiversity loss.
The following are the sub-themes:
A. Insect Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
Insect communities play a central role in ecosystem functioning through pollination, biologicalcontrol, decomposition, and trophic regulation. High insect diversity enhances ecosystemproductivity, stability, and resilience, while declines in insect populations can disrupt ecological networks and reduce essential ecosystem services.
B. Aboveground–Belowground Biodiversity Interactions
In this sub-theme, we try to understand how interactions between insects link aboveground and belowground ecosystems and how it is influencing nutrient flows, plant performance, and community dynamics. These cross-system interactions strengthen ecosystem resilience and mediate responses to environmental change.
C. Biodiversity, Ecosystem Stability, and Resilience
Biodiversity enhances ecosystem resistance to disturbances and supports recovery following environmental stress. Therefore, we focus our research on how Insect diversity buffer ecosystems against climate variability, land-use change, and biological invasions.
D. Impacts of Environmental Change on Functional Biodiversity
Climate change, habitat degradation, and intensive land use alter insect communities, leading to functional losses in ecosystems. Understanding these impacts is essential for predicting ecosystem responses and developing mitigation strategies. Through this sub-theme, we propose a combination a traditional knowledge-based and science(modern)-based conservation and land-management practices to support biodiversity preservation while maintaining productive and resilient ecosystems.
2. Pollination Ecology
We investigate the ecological and evolutionary processes governing interactions between flowering plants and their pollinators. Our research in this theme aims to understand the mechanisms underlying plant reproductive success, the maintenance of biodiversity, and the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. By integrating field experiments, observational studies, quantitative analyses, and theoretical approaches, we address fundamental and applied questions relevant to ecosystem resilience, conservation, and sustainable land use.
This theme covers the following sub-themes:
A. Plant–Pollinator Interaction Dynamics
This sub-theme focuses on the structure and function of interactions between plants and their pollinators, examining how floral traits, resource availability, and pollinator behavior influence pollen transfer, reproductive success, and fitness outcomes for both partners. We also explore the evolutionary processes shaping floral diversity and pollination strategies, including adaptive trait evolution, pollinator-mediated selection, and the role of pollination in plant diversification and speciation. Our investigations are extended to patterns of pollinator diversity across landscapes and ecosystems, emphasizing functional traits, species turnover, and community assembly processes that regulate pollination services and ecological stability.
B. Aboveground–Belowground Biodiversity Interactions
This research area evaluates the impacts of land-use change, agricultural intensification,chemical inputs, urbanisation, traffic, invasive species, and global change on pollinator populations and pollination systems. We also address how climate variability, habitat heterogeneity, and phenological shifts affect pollinator activity, plant–pollinator synchrony, and spatial patterns of pollination success. Furthermore, we translate ecological theory into practice by developing evidence-based strategies for pollinator conservation, habitat restoration, and the sustainable management of pollination services in natural and agricultural landscapes.
3. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Impact
Our research group focuses on understanding how agrochemicals, industrial pollutants, and mining-related contaminants affect ecosystems. Our work investigates how these stressors alter organism health, population dynamics, and ecosystem functions such as insect health and diversity, soil fertility, and biological pest control. By integrating laboratory assays, field studies, and mechanistic approaches, we aim to generate scientifically robust knowledge that supports sustainable land use, responsible chemical management, and biodiversity conservation in agricultural and mining-impacted landscapes.
A. Ecotoxicology
This sub-theme examines the lethal and sublethal effects of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers on non-target insects and soil organisms, including pollinators, predators, decomposers, and ecosystem engineers. Research addresses exposure pathways, dose–response relationships, and long-term impacts under realistic field conditions. Furthermore, our research also focuses on the effects of mining activities and associated contaminants (e.g., heavy metals and metalloids) on soil invertebrates and insect communities. Studies assess bioaccumulation, toxicity thresholds, and consequences for soil biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Therefore, we study the effects of pollutant mixture and chronic exposure on these organisms’health and diversity through the investigations of how combined exposure to multiple stressors such as agrochemicals, metals, and other environmental pollutants affects insects and soil organisms, with emphasis on chronic, low-dose exposure and interactive (synergistic or antagonistic) effects. Our research explores mechanisms of toxicity in insects through molecular, physiological, and behavioral responses to contaminants, including oxidative stress, endocrine disruption, neurotoxicity, and immune impairment, linking mechanistic effects to fitness and survival.
B. Risk Assessment and Sustainable Land Management
This area integrates ecotoxicological data into environmental risk assessment frameworks, supporting the development of safer agrochemical use practices, mine site management, remediation strategies, and policies aimed at protecting above and below biodiversity.
4. Bee Health and Sustainable Beekeeping
A- Bee health
At BEES-RG we know that the health of bee populations is fundamental to successful and sustainable beekeeping. Healthy bees (honey and wild) are essential for pollination, honey production, and maintaining biodiversity. Our research topics are focused on protecting bee health through best practices in hive management for honey bees, protecting and installation of nesting facilities for wild bees, disease prevention, and environmental conservation.
B- Sustainable beekeeping
As the importance of bees becomes more widely understood nowadays, the way we manage them is evolving. “Sustainable beekeeping” is about more than just harvesting honey, it’s about protecting bees, supporting plant diversity, and maintaining healthy colonies for the long term. Therefore, what BEES-RG called “sustainability” in the case of beekeeping? Which components of the apicultural system management and context have to be considered to describe and assess this sustainability? To answer these questions, we conduct a participatory research approach, aiming at adapting or combining the concept of “modern sustainability” to the specificities of beekeeping farms “traditional/local of sustainability”, in Africa and at developing and adapting the outcome with rural community’s realities. To take into account the diversity of situations of beekeeping farms and their social, economic and environmental particularities, we promote the co-creation of knowledge and co-implementation of the knowledge created at community level.
5. Ecological Modelling, Smart Technologies and Ecosystem Services
Using AI tools, sensor technologies, and ecological models, we analyse and predict environmental change, quantify ecosystem services, and support science-based environmental policy. We use the emerging technologies for assessing ecosystem services to:
a- Predict Change: Forecast how ecosystems will respond to drivers such as climate change, pollution, and land-use changes.
b- Inform Management: Evaluate different management strategies and policy decisions (e.g.,conservation payments, sustainable harvesting quotas) without risk to actual environments.
c- Analyze Complexity: Study intricate relationships, such as energy flow, nutrient cycling, and population dynamics, that are often invisible or too slow to observe in real-time. At BEES-RG, we use mathematical and computational techniques to represent and simulate the complex dynamics and interactions within ecosystems.
6. Ethnoecology
We focus our studies on how different cultures understand, interact with, and manage their natural environment, focusing on traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) about plants, animals, ecosystems, and resource use, bridging social and biological sciences to link human cultures with ecological systems for conservation, sustainability, and understanding diverseworldviews. We examin local knowledge systems, often contrasting them with “modern” science, to see how cultural practices maintain or impact biodiversity, highlighting deep connections between people, land, and life. At BEES-RG, we know that local cultures possess profound, practical knowledge that can offer sustainable solutions for environmental challenges, promoting biodiversity and cultural resilience alongside scientific understanding.
Academic Context & Our Challenge
The global decline in biodiversity particularly among insects and soil organisms poses a profound challenge to food security, water quality, and human well-being. Modern agricultural practices, industrial pollution, and mining activities continue to disrupt natural systems, threatening the ecological balance that supports all life.
BEES-RG operates at the crossroads of biodiversity research, ecotoxicology, and environmental sustainability, addressing these complex challenges through integrated, evidence-based research. Our approach combines field studies, laboratory analyses, ecological modelling, and technological innovation to provide actionable insights into how ecosystems respond to human-induced pressures.
Our Core Mission
To understand, protect, and enhance biodiversity and ecosystem services by bridging traditional ecological knowledge with modern science and technology ensuring a sustainable future for nature and society alike.