Department of Environment

UNESCO Chair on Eremology

How it started

The International Centre for Eremology – ICE – was founded in 1989 by Prof. Em. Dr. ir. M.F. De Boodt, as a reaction to the disastrous droughts Sahelian countries were suffering from since the early 1970’s. As such, a special branch of science was devoted to the study and management of drylands. It was the late French Professor Theodore Monod (founder in 1938 of IFAN, l’Institut Français d’Afrique Noire, Dakar, Sénégal) who first used the word “eremology” (from the greek erhmoz: desert).

The International Centre for Eremo­logy is situated at Ghent University, Belgium, and offers a research base for a number of scientists and students. From the base, various research, educational and exchange projects are organised in many dryland countries distributed over all continents.

Objectives

The specific objectives of the International Centre for Eremology are:

-     to promote and coordinate the study and management of drylands,

-     to provide technological and scientific innovation to improve management of drylands,

-     to generate, acquire and disseminate information related to the study and management of drylands,

-     to support and build up capacity of universities, institutes, research centres ... active in the field of desertification and dryland management.

M.Sc. Programme

The International Centre for Eremo­logy organises in a jointly co-operation with the International Training Centre of Ghent University and the Faculty of Applied Sciences of Vrije Universiteit Brussel a two-years M.Sc. programme in Physical Land Resources.

Research projects in drylands

The International Centre for Eremology is running several research, educational and exchange projects in a variety of dryland regions.

Facilities

Apart form a fully equipped soil physics and soil chemistry lab, the International Centre for Eremology has a 25-m long windtunnel with rainfall simulation facility. We further have two large lab rainfall simulator and several 10-m long field rainfall simulators.

Invitation

The International Centre for Eremology is open for cooperation and collaboration on projects dealing with the conservation and management of soil and water for protecting and preserving the environment and for sustainable use of the natural resources, particularly in dryland regions.

We also welcome any other cooperation related to the study and management of drylands and to combat desertification.

Contact

For more information, please contact

Prof. dr. Donald Gabriëls or Prof. dr. Wim Cornelis

Address:
International Centre for Eremology
Ghent University
Coupure links 653
B-9000 Ghent, Belgium

Telephone:

+32 9 264 60 50

+32 9 264 60 40

Fax:

+32 9 264 62 47

Partners