2017 Calendar Credits/Contacts Calendar info :This calendar was made using photographs courtesy of our students. All photographs were taken between 2014 and 2016. National holidays in Belgium, Application France, Italy, Cameroon, Malaysia and Australia, our study sites, were included and so were selected events Annual scholarship call: 01/10-30/11 of international importance. Annual self-funded call: 01/10-30/06 Calendar Cover Photograph Ebogo Rainforest in Cameroon. or until all places are exhausted : Information page photograph (above):Eldys AMOUSSOU Welcome from the Chair RODRIGUEZ : Down Yannick : Colonised house in Taiping, Malaysia. As a student in Biology and Human Ecology, I was fascinated by exchange programmes TATIN Gisela in Taman Negara, : IndigenousMalaysia people sailing alongDURAN the river and ecological fieldwork and participated in Erasmus exchanges and scientific expeditions to We thank all teaching and administrative staff at all various places in Europe and the tropics. The EC-funded and excellence-labelled Erasmus Mundus participating institutions, as well as all our students and Masters Course in Tropical Biodiversity and Ecosystems – TROPIMUNDO is the result of the enthusiasm alumni. and experience developed by myself and my colleagues since the 1990s, more particularly with www.tropimundo.eu respect to tropical rainforests and woodlands and tropical coastal ecosystems. [email protected] The world currently risks an environmental crisis and the extinction of several species due to global warming. Due to the impact of changes in land use and destruction of habitats among others, tropical rainforests and woodlands, mangrove forests and coral reefs are disappearing and with them the ecosystem functions, goods and services on which human populations are dependent. In order to conserve nature, to manage or even restore tropical biodiversity and ecosystems, we must understand patterns of tropical biodiversity, study how organisms interact with their environment and how they respond to perturbations and change. TROPIMUNDO combines education and research in this context. twitter.com/tropimundo During their 2-year Master programme, of which an entire semester is spent in the tropics, TROPIMUNDO Awards TROPIMUNDO students focus on botany, zoology and/or integrative ecosystem approaches in Each year our students universities in Europe and in the Americas, Africa, Asia or Australia. www.facebook.com/tropi.mundo.1 compete in a natural history Specialisation is possible on: photography contest (resulting in this calendar) and for academic • the evolution of tropical flora and vegetation, www.linkedin.com/in/tropimundo excellence awards. We have • faunistic assemblages, an annual Best TROPIMUNDO • IT tools to process and manage biodiversity data and databases (biogeographical, genetic, Student Award and the Lorenzo geographical information systems), including the management and conservation of historic Borella Memorial Award for the Website programming & management by Artprotect.be collections such as herbarium sheets, best TROPIMUNDO thesis. Did you know? • the diversity, dynamics and evolution of tropical and subtropical ecosystems (with a focus on Did you know that TROPIMUNDO ²²²²²Copyright four related systems, namely tropical rainforests and woodlands, mangrove forests, seagrass is the first Erasmus Mundus beds and coral reefs, including the interactions between flora, fauna, man and the environment programme to offset the carbon All photographs and logos in this within and between each of these adjacent ecosystems), emissions caused by its compulsory calendar are the property of • conservation and restoration ecology of natural habitats and their biodiversity, including student and staff mobility? TROPIMUNDO, of the partner competences in sustainable management and governance of biodiversity, and finally institution or of the photographer indicated in the caption or credits • tropical ethnobotany, exploitation and valorisation of natural resources and conservation of and cannot be used in any traditional ecological knowledge. form without the prior written authorisation of the copyright So far, we have recruited over 100 students of over 30 nationalities, many of whom are now doing holder. further research or work in the tropics or are applying the tools they learned to other ecosystems. We are proud of each and every one of them. Prof. Dr. Farid Dahdouh-Guebas Université Libre de Bruxelles – Vrije Universiteit Brussel TROPIMUNDO General Coordinator January 2017 Lorenzo BORELLA: Coral fishes in Pulau Bidong(top) and cuttle fish in Chagar Hutang, Pulau Redang(bottom) in Terengganu, Malaysia. Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday December 2016 1 M T W T F S S New Year (Hari Tarun Baru 1 2 3 4 Malaysia 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Labor Day Malaysia (Hari Buruh) 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Epiphany 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Australia Day Chinese New Year 30 31 February M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Sally-Jane NORTHCOTE : Top left : Young man with zebu cattle in Sint Mary Island, Madagascar. Bottom right : The beginning of a long journey in Heron Island, Australia Gisela DURAN RODRIGUEZ : Top right : Lake Kenyir, Malaysia Anaïs BONNEFOND : Bottom left : Peacock in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia February 2017 Astrid DE MESTIER DU BOURG : Ekomb Waterfalls in Cameroon Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 1 2 3 4 5 January M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 World Wetlands Day 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Youth Day 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Shrove Tuesday March M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Raphaël DE LAAGE DE MEUX : Top : Green bush viper in Korup National Park, Cameroon Lorenzo BORELLA : Bottom left : Blacktip reef shark in Chagar Hutan, Pulau Redang, Malaysia. Yannick TATIN : Bottom right : in Pulau Kapas, Malaysia March 2017 Ana Laura REBOREDO SEGOVIA : Top : Praying mantis in Penja Pepper Farm, Cameroon; Inset: Kassu Tesfaye EMIRU : Gemassie Gedel near Debre Birhan, Ethiopia Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 1 2 3 4 5 February M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Labor Day in Australia International Women’s Day 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Father’s day in Italy 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 World Forestry Day + Spring equinox World Water Day 27 28 29 30 31 April M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Yannick TATIN : Top : Jungle sunset in Tasir Kenyir, Malaysia João NUNES DE MATOS FARMINHAO : Bottom : Bromheadia finlaysoniana (Lindl.) Miq. in Setiu Wetland, Malaysia April 2017 Monika RUWAIMANA : Mangrove and Casuarina in Setiu Wetland, Malaysia Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 1 2 March May M T W T F S S M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 27 28 29 30 31 29 30 31 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 World Health Day 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Good Friday Easter 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Easter Monday Earth Day 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Italian Liberation Day Anzac Day in Australia Kassu Tesfaye EMIRU : Top left : Kenyir Lake in Terengganu, Malaysia Monika RUWAIMANA : Top right : Acanthurus sp. in Tioman Island, Malaysia May 2017 Antoine EDE : Top : Vieillot’s Black Weaver in Limbe, Cameroon Thais GUILLEN OTERO : Inset : Nepenthes vieillardii Hook.f. in Yaté, New Caledonia Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Labor Day 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Victory 1945 Buddha Anniversary Mother’s Day (Vesak, Buddha Purnima) World Migratory Bird Day 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 National Day in Cameroon World Day of Cultural diversity for Endangered species Day dialogue and development 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Ascent International Day of Biological Diversity World Turtle Day 29 30 31 April June M T W T F S S M T W T F S S 1 2 1 2 3 4 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 26 27 28 29 30 Raphaël DE LAAGE DE MEUX : Bottom left : Charaxes tectonis Jordan in the volcanic mountain range near Lake Oku, Cameroon Lorenzo BORELLA : Bottom right : Epinephelus coioides in Hamilton in Pulau Bidong, Malaysia June 2017 Anaïs BONNEFOND : Butterfly feathers illusion in Cameron Highland, Malaysia Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 1 2 3 4 May Feast of the Italian Republic Pentecost M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Pentecost Monday Father’s Day in Belgium World Environment day World Oceans Day 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Djouldé Soumaé/Hari Raya Puasa :Ramadan Ends Summer Solstice World Rainforest day 26 27 28 29 30 Hari Raya Puasa :Ramadan Ends Hari Raya Puasa :Ramadan Ends July M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Raphaël DE LAAGE DE MEUX : Top : Large wandering spider from Mount Cameroon National Park, Cameroon Eldys AMOUSSOU : Bottom : Rainforest around Ekom-Nkam Waterfall in Moungo, Cameroon July 2017 Raphaël DE LAAGE DE MEUX : Top : Locust in Korup National Park, Cameroon; Columba MARTINEZ ESPINOSA : Inset : Lizard in Setiu