This project was financed as part of the partnership between Belgium and Burundi under the Convention on Biodiversity through the Belgian Biodiversity Information Exchange Center (CHM). It therefore aimed to consolidate the CHM's operating system through its various components. It thus sought to strengthen the system for collecting and posting information on the CHM-Burundian website. Indeed, it was necessary for the CHM to be able to have a continuous connection for the functioning of its website.

Objectives of the project

The overall objective of the said project was “the consolidation of the components of CHM-Burundi for its proper functioning” and the specific objectives were as follows:
- Strengthening the system for collecting and posting information on the CHM-Burundian website;
- Strengthening systems for collecting, disseminating and exploiting information through non-web media;
- Improving the system for filing books in the CHM-Burundian library.

Activities and results that were expected

Project activities by objective

Specific objective 1: Strengthening the system for collecting and posting information on the CHM-Burundi website

Around this objective, the project sought to make the National Focal Point of the CHM-Burundians more operational. It was necessary for the CHM to be able to have a continuous connection for the functioning of its website. Several studies were carried out on pollinators, habitat dynamics, etc. but none were yet on the CHM-Burundi website due to a lack of sufficient staff to synthesize them or prepare related publications. There was therefore a need for the National Focal Point to be supported by a resource person working as a consultant in the collection and dissemination of information. The choice could be made among students who had worked on pollinators and had the ease of working on the computer. The NFP had to devote time to its training. The actions that were thus selected were the following:
- Restoring the Internet connection with the acquisition of an annual subscription bonus for a guaranteed minimum bandwidth of 124 kbps;
- Add information available on all web pages of the site.

Specific objective 2: Strengthening systems for collecting, disseminating and exploiting information through non-web media

Under this objective, the project aimed to consolidate non-web media to disseminate information to several target groups. He therefore sought to support the production and distribution of the ^11th issue of the INECN Scientific Bulletin. At the same time, he also produced the ^12th issue of the same bulletin in order to make public the scientific information presented at a scientific conference at the University of Burundi. Considering the pressing need of the newsletter to publish articles provided by researchers not only working in Burundi but also working on biodiversity in the sub-region (Central Africa) and in French and English languages, the project organized a meeting of the Scientific Committee of the Bulletin to define new guidelines to ensure the wide publication of scientific information.

The pollinator collections required constant maintenance to ensure their sustainability. As part of this project, it was thus a question of maintaining them by regularly adding alcohol to the formolized samples and Naphthalene balls to the entomological boxes to prevent the various attacks of the specimens by parasites.

Specific objective 3: Improvement of the system for classifying books in the CHM-Burundian library

The project further aimed to strengthen the biodiversity reference library. For documents that were already present and classified in this library, the search system was improved by making available a small file filing cabinet to facilitate the search for books on the shelves. The improvement of the filing system consisted in encoding all documents in a file system and in computerized form. The project also had to make available the WINISIS software for the automation of books acquired on the computer. The actions that were thus selected were the following:
- Provide the library with a small file filing cabinet to facilitate the search for books on the shelves;
- Provide the Library with the WINISIS software for the automation of books acquired on the computer;
- Install the WINISIS software and train librarians on its use;
- Provide the library with a Universal Decimal Classification document .

3.2. Expected results

- Direct results:
- The operational CHM-Burundian website;
- Information periodically provided by the Burundian Focal Point, highly assisted by a consultant;
- Current consultation of the CHM website by various users;
- The INECN Scientific Bulletin with numbers 11 and 12 posted on the website, posted on the website, distributed in national libraries and to various partners;
- A new editorial text with a new scientific body of the newsletter published;
- Library staff with experience in library management, in particular with the use of software to automate the encoding system;
- Data long produced through studies on pollinators and habitat dynamics are disseminated on the CHM-Burundi website;
- Well-maintained and constantly used invertebrate collections.