Belgium, a country party to the CBD, has set up its Information Exchange Center with a website http://bi.chm-cbd.net hosted by the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences. In 1997, the international meeting under the theme “Building the Information Clearing-House” recommended that “a partnership should be established between National Focal Points not connected to the web and those who have access to the Internet and available space on their server for this type of bilateral cooperation. It will also help create an identity for the CHM among the countries that are signatories to the Convention.”

In this context, Belgium has established a “Belgian Partnership for the C HM”, which helps countries to improve their access to information and to provide the means to relay it at the national level. The main tool is the Internet. The Belgian partnership also contributes to the exchange of scientific and technical expertise. As part of this partnership, the CHM-Belgium Focal Point:

- offers training on the development and maintenance of websites;
- hosts CHM websites on its server;
- helps to stimulate networking and the exchange of experiences, in particular through the organization of workshops;
- organizes non-web activities in the field of communication, education and public awareness.

It is within the framework of this Belgian Partnership that Burundi has set up its Information Exchange Center (CHM-Burundians) since 2002.

Activities carried out by CHM-Burundi under the Belgian Partnership

Since its creation in 2002, the CHM-Burundians has carried out a lot of activities. The activities already carried out are of 7 types:

• CHM-Burundian advertising;
• Information collection and dissemination;
• Capacity building for the CHM-Burundians;
• Development of awareness-raising activities;
• Development of research activities;
• Repatriation of information;
• Creation of a reference library;
• Promotion of technical and scientific cooperation, as well as the sharing of knowledge among the Contracting Parties to the Convention.

Information collection and dissemination

Dissemination of information on the CHM-Burundian website

Since the creation of the CHM website, several pieces of information have been posted under 5 sections:

• The “Convention” section provides information about the Convention on Biological Diversity and opens links to the Convention secretariat as well as the CBD CHM.

• The “Biodiversity” section provides information under three headings, namely:

- INECN Scientific Bulletin;
- Burundi and its Biodiversity;
- State of knowledge and activities.

• The “Implementation in Burundi” section provides information on three topics, namely:

- National Focal Points;
- Thematic Programmes;
- Cross-sectoral Issues;
- National Reports.

• The “Cooperation” section provides information on cooperation in the field of biodiversity in a bilateral and multilateral framework.

• The “Information and links” section provides information on:

- Other Exchange Centers;
- Other Conventions ratified by Burundi;
- Convention on Biological Diversity;
- International organizations.

2. Multiplication of other channels for disseminating information on biodiversity

In order to reach all target groups, the CHM-Burundians has developed other channels for disseminating information other than the website, namely:

- Dissemination of information in print;
- Publication of information through the INECN scientific bulletin;
- Publication of information on CD-ROMs;
- Dissemination of information through the media.

• Dissemination of information in print

In the field of biodiversity, several collections and dissemination of scientific, political and practical information are constantly produced at INECN. The CHM-Burundian prints and multiplies these collections and distributions-of-information, distributes and distributes them in the national libraries of MEEATU, INECN, UB, ENS, Department of Scientific Research, and in the National Archives.

• Creation and publication of the newsletter published by the CHM-Burundais

In Burundi, several institutions conduct research whose results are never published and brought to the attention of the public. Based on this observation, in 2006, INECN created a Bulletin whose key title is “Scientific Bulletin of the National Institute for Environment and Nature Conservation” and the short key title “Bull. sci.” Inst. natl. approx. conserved. nat.” This bulletin is published by the CHM-Burundians under the financial support of INECN and IRSCnb. Published annually in print under ISSN 2220-6973 and online under ISSN 2220-6981, the newsletter contains articles from scientific studies and forum articles in the field of national biodiversity. Currently, these articles come from research studies conducted at INECN, the University of Burundi, the University of Burundi, the Ecole Normale Supérieure, environmental NGOs, but also from studies collecting and distributing story-information and the newsletter arrives in its ^{10th issue dedicated to the 10th} anniversary of the CHM-Burundians under the Belgian Partnership. The information published in this bulletin is constantly validated by a Scientific Committee and the printed matter is distributed and deposited in the national libraries of MEEATU, INECN, UB, ENS, Department of Scientific Research, and in the National Archives.

• Dissemination of information on CD-ROMs

The CHM-Burundian also uses CD-Roms to disseminate information on national biodiversity. In 2008, a CD-Rom of Lepidoptera from Burundi was produced in Belgium based on the collections of the IRSCnb and the MRAC and was distributed to all research institutions in Burundi. In addition, a CD-Rom to raise awareness about the importance of pollinators was produced at the end of studies in this field in Burundi and was also widely distributed.

Development of research activities

The CHM-Burundian has already understood that scientific research remains an essential method in collecting scientific data, improving knowledge about biodiversity and in taking decision-making measures for its conservation and sustainable use.

Thus, with the project “Improving knowledge on the importance of wild pollinators in agroecosystems” developed under the funding of the CHM-Belge, it was possible, with the involvement of three students from the University of Burundi, to make an inventory of pollinator species in Kibira National Park, Kibira National Park, Ruvubu NP and Kigwena Nature Reserve as well as their coastal agricultural environments. Three developments-of-dissertation research-activities of these students were produced, multiplied and disseminated.

At the end of this project, it emerged that there is still a pressing need in Burundi to strengthen taxonomic capacities in order to maintain the achievements and maintain pollinator inventory activities. It is in this context that in September 2010, Burundi, still under the same financial support from the IRSNB, started another project “Strengthening taxonomic knowledge on pollinators in forest and agricultural ecosystems in Burundi” with the following objectives:

• Capacity building in pollinator inventories around an ongoing program in forest and agricultural ecosystems;
• Capacity building in the identification of pollinator species through classical and modern taxonomic methods;
• Establishment of appropriate methods for the conservation and continuous monitoring of specimens.

This project, which is currently being completed, has made it possible to train three students from the University of Burundi and two Biologist Executives from INECN (currently OBPE) in taxonomic matters by foreign specialists, to create a collection of more than 12,000 pollinator samples preserved at INECN, currently OBPE. It is this data that will always serve as the basis for future studies. The results of this research will also be disseminated.

In order to support research within a broader framework in the field of biodiversity, IRSNB and INECN signed a memorandum of understanding “Support for INECN activities focused on research, information exchange and the conservation of biodiversity in protected areas in Burundi (Period 2010-2012)”.

In this field, research activities are being initiated and aim at the establishment of a system for monitoring the dynamics of habitats in the Rusizi, Kibira and Ruvubu National Parks.

Development of activities to raise awareness about the implementation of the CBD

The CHM-Burundi, which could no longer be understood as a single Internet system and the distribution of books and other tools, has also marked its evolution by multiplying its information distribution systems to reach a general public. Thus, as part of the “Awareness-raising” component initiated to strengthen the National Focal Points for the Information Exchange Center under the Belgian Partnership, the CHM-Burundi carried out the project “Let's valorize traditional knowledge in terms of biological diversity in Burundi”. Thanks to this project, several developments-of-awareness-activities-to-the-implementation-of-the-cdbuments were developed and distributed in print and online, namely three lexicons of Kirundi names on birds, mammals, fish, birds, mammals, fish, the lexicon of environmental terms, the book on biological resources of Burundi.

Based on these developments-awareness-activities-to-the-implementation-of-documents, a national awareness-raising workshop for national institutions, NGOs, the media and the private sector, and a local workshop for representatives of local communities from all ecological areas of the country were organized. The central theme of these workshops was “the protection and enhancement of traditional knowledge associated with biodiversity” (Dukingire kandi duteze imbere ubumenyi kavukire ku binyabuzima).

In 2009, still under the Belgian Partnership, the CHM started a project “Improving knowledge on the importance of wild pollinators in agroecosystems”. This project made it possible to produce developments-of-awareness-activities-to-the-implementation-of-the-documentaries, an awareness-raising booklet for the protection of wild pollinators (in Kirundi and in French) and a 20-minute development-of-awareness-activities-to-the-implementation-of-documentary-to-the-implementation-of-documentation of 20 minutes and posters on wild and agricultural pollinators at Burundi. Based on these tools, two national and local awareness-raising workshops were organized for state and non-state institutions respectively and representatives of local communities from all ecological areas of the country in December 2010. These workshops were dedicated to the Year 2010 selected by the CBD as the International Year of Biodiversity. The central theme of these workshops was “Let's protect forest ecosystem pollinators in favor of agricultural ecosystems in Burundi” (Dukingire ibikoko bifasha mw'irondoka ry'ibiterwa vyo mu mashamba cimeza bikagra inkurikizi nziza ku ndimo mu Burundi).

The CHM-Burundi has just popularized all the knowledge already acquired on pollinators in Burundi as part of the project “Raising awareness among local communities on the conservation and sustainable use of pollinators in forest and agricultural ecosystems in Burundi: the case of the Kibira and Ruvubu national parks”.

Promotion of technical and scientific cooperation, as well as the sharing of knowledge among Contracting Parties to the Convention

The CHM-Burundi was built in a framework of cooperation with Belgium. This framework, currently consolidated by the memorandum of understanding between IRSNB and INECN, is intended to support South-South cooperation between Burundi and other African countries. It is in this context that the CHM-Belge initiated the collaboration between INECN and the Plant Agricultural Research Council in Pretoria in South Africa to support Burundi in research on pollinators. It is in this context that an Expert from this institution came to Burundi to train two biological managers and three students on the harvesting, conservation and identification of Apoidea pollinators. In addition, the CHM-Belge facilitated the training of these same people by an expert entomologist from the International Institute for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) in Nairobi.

The CHM-Burundian is currently working to establish a formal framework for cooperation between INECN and the Koenig Zoological Research Museum (ZFMK) in Germany in the field of herpetology.

Advertising on the CHM-Burundi

The first role of CHM-Burundi is to make itself known to all stakeholders in the field of the environment in general and biodiversity in particular. Thus, in 2003, for its advertising, the CHM distributed an original CD-Rom on the CHM website and a leaflet announcing the existence of CHM-Burundi. In July 2004, within the framework of the Ministry responsible for the environment, a meeting was held to exchange information and experiences on the functioning of the CHM and the Partnership with Belgium under the Convention on Biological Diversity.

This meeting organized in partnership with Belgium and Rwanda was an important opportunity for advertising the CHM. The meeting was attended by executives composed of the Interinstitutional Focal Points of CHM-Burundi, the Focal Points of the Rio Conventions, CITES and the Ramsar Convention, the frameworks and authorities of the MEEATU and other national institutions with control over biodiversity, journalists and delegates from Rwanda and Belgium.

In addition, during the meetings and workshops organized by CHM-Burundi, advertising messages were constantly launched.

Repatriation of information

Since colonial times, foreign institutions have conducted research on national biodiversity. Collections and associated information from Burundi are preserved in these foreign institutions and museums. Belgium, a country colonizing Burundi, has information, the most important of which is located at the MRAC in Tervuren and at the IRSNB in Brussels.

Under the supervision and financial support of the CHM-Belgium, the CHM-Burundi has initiated activities to collect information for their repatriation to Burundi. With this in mind, in 2007, a Burundian intern from the Ecole Normale Supérieure doing an internship in Belgium developed a database on Lepidoptera in Burundi. This is an important tool that has been distributed to all research institutions in Burundi to facilitate studies on this taxonomic group.

In 2011, the Belgian CHM collected scientific study documents on biodiversity in Burundi and the subregion, especially the Albertine Rift, from Belgian institutions, which were sent to Burundi. These documents are currently located at the University of Burundi, at the INECN Liaison Office in Bujumbura and at the INECN Library in Gitega.

Strengthening the INECN Library into a biodiversity reference library

INECN has a library created in 1995, which is currently managed by CHM-Burundi, as a tool for disseminating information. Despite its lack of reinforcement-the-library-of-l-inecn-en-library-of-reference-enumentation, it remains the only important library in terms of the environment and biodiversity at the national level. Since 2009, the CHM-Burundi has taken the option of making it a reference library in the field of biological diversity. Since then, the CHM-Burundi has collected in Burundi more than 1500 reinforcements of the INECN library into reference libraries currently kept in this library. In addition, with the support of the CHM-Belge, more than 380 kg of books related to national and regional biodiversity were identified in Belgium and sent to Burundi. The CHM is also eager to multiply and print the reinforcements of the INECN-en-Bibliotheque de Reference Materials produced at the INECN to deposit them at the library. as part of the project to strengthen the operating system of CHM-Burundi ongoing under the financial support of the CHM-Belge under the financial support of the CHM-Belge, Burundi is in the process of strengthening the operating system of CHM-Burundi under the financial support of the CHM-Belge, Burundi is in the process of strengthening the operating system of CHM-Burundi, under the financial support of the CHM-Belgium, under the financial support of the CHM-Belge, Burundi is in the process of strengthening the operating system of the CHM-Burundi.

Strengthening the capacities of CHM-Burundi

The capacity building of the CHM concerns the maintenance of the functioning of the CHM website and the training of the NFP and PFIs.

• How it works

Since the evolution of the website http://www.bch-cbd.naturalsciences.be/burundi.htm in frontpage to http://bi.chm-cbd.net in PTK, the CHM-Burundian website is hosted free of charge by the IRSCnb in Belgium. In Burundi, this site operates thanks to a permanent and paid connection provided by the Burundian Internet Center (CBINET) under a guaranteed bandwidth of 64 kbps. In order to ensure this permanent connection, Burundi has received financial support from the IRSCnb under the Belgian Partnership through several projects to strengthen the connection.

• Training in the collection and dissemination of information

In 2002, the PFN-CHM was trained in Belgium on the creation and management of websites. It was during this training that the website: http://www.bch-cbd.naturalsciences.be/burundi.htm was created.

In 2004, a PFI training course was organized under the Belgian partnership. This training of 10 participants resulted in the creation of inter-institutional web pages. These web pages provided information on:

• Burundi's protected areas and environmental education for INECN;
• Biosecurity for ISABU;
• Forestry and forest policy in Burundi for DGATE;

- Food processing and technology for CNTA;

Agrobiodiversity for MINAGRIE;

- Scientific research for UB.

In January-February 2005, a regional training was organized in Burundi and brought together Focal Points from Central African countries, namely Burundi, Congo, Central African Republic, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. This training was based on the following important points:

- Strengthen the human resources capacities of countries by upgrading the Focal Points of the CHMs and the training of at least two nationals per country;

- Familiarize the various participants in the use of software in order to feed the various websites in their respective countries;

- Facilitate technology transfer through the exchange and dissemination of information on experiences and techniques relevant to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity;

- Learn the XML language to facilitate the development of the national biological heritage through the Internet;

- Strengthen the capacities of countries in database concepts;

- Stimulate cooperation between regional information exchange centers.

As part of this training, laptops were provided to all PFN-CHMs to help them collect and analyze information to be posted to the CHM website at the country level.

In June 2006, after the establishment of the PTK in 2005, Belgium organized a training course for web managers for the CHM, at the IRSCnb with the objective of creating national websites under PTK. It was during this training that the Burundi website was built: http://bi.chm-cbd.net. It was therefore necessary for Belgium to form the PFIs in Bujumbura in July 2007 so that they could transfer institutional web pages to PTK. Other complementary PFI training courses on PTK took place in 2009 and 2012 in Bujumbura under the same Belgian Partnership.