Solvay & SolVin partners in the "SANTO" expedition to the Vanuatu Islands: the most ambitious international scientific mission in the field of biodiversity.
In partnership with the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, the Solvay Group and SolVin are pleased to announce their participation in the most ambitious international scientific mission ever undertaken in the field of biodiversity: the SANTO 2006, Biodiversity in danger expedition to the island of Santo, one of the Vanuatu Islands lying right in the middle of the South Pacific. This scientific mission is being organised at the initiative of Pro Natura International, the Institute for Research and Development and the National Museum of Natural History in Paris. From September to December 2006, 160 researchers from the four corners of the globe, representing a total of 25 countries, are paving the way for the biggest global inventory of biodiversity ever carried out. Every available method of investigation is being implemented to accelerate the acquisition of knowledge of living organisms, in order to understand, explain and disseminate biodiversity issues and the associated challenges. Several teams have come together under the umbrella of this expedition, some specialised in the biology of the sea beds and others in the study of the canopies of tropical forests. Two Belgian specialists in social insects, Maurice Leponce of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences and Yves Roisin of the Free University of Brussels, participated in the SANTO 2006 expedition.
Maurice Leponce
During the SANTO 2006 expedition, Maurice Leponce took part in the module concerned with the study of the biodiversity of forests between 0 and 1200 m in altitude, along with around ten other researchers who have partnered him since 2003 within the framework of the IBISCA programme into the study of tropical forests. His specific role in the project was to look into the factors that influence the diversity of ants and termites. The purpose of the approach adopted was to simultaneously investigate the distribution of the diversity of a series of key organisms at different levels within the forest, from the ground to the summit of the canopy. This implies the use of a large number of different sampling techniques. « The SANTO 2006 project heralds a new era of projects, in which significant human and material resources are finally being channelled into studying the state and the workings of environments as complex as tropical forests or coral reefs. The stability of these environments depends on their biological diversity. The urgency of this type of project is heightened by the growing awareness of the link between biodiversity and the crucial role played by ecosystems, including climate regulation ».
Yves Roisin
Yves Roisin participated in the “forests – mountains – rivers” land module which set out to collect samples of termites and ants according to standardised methods at different altitudes and in different strata of the forest (from the ground to the canopy). These two groups of social insects are in fact particularly important due to their abundance and ecological role, in most tropical forests. « For me, SANTO 2006 is a unique opportunity to participate in a very large-scale project, which, we hope, will not only generate interesting scientific results but also draw public attention to the current crisis of biodiversity and the potential repercussions of global changes ».
The Treetop-Raft and The Canopy-Glider
New exploration devices have been specially developed for this mission to complement the Treetop-Raft, better known under the name of the SolVin-Bretzel. These are the Canopy-Glider and its ground base, the Canopy Dome. The Canopy-Glider is an airship made up of several components, one of which is a helium-filled toric envelope, which remains inflated for the duration of the missions. A traditional hot-air balloon manoeuvres the glider, backed up by a microlight engine. While the SolVin-Bretzel can be put down on the canopy, the Canopy Glider only skims low over the canopy allowing the collection of samples: insects, liana, lichen, flowers, fruit, etc. The Canopy Glider must be protected from the bad weather that can strike at any time in the tropics and the helium torus in particular must be protected from UV rays, which is why a protective tent known as a Canopy Dome, an ultra-light, inflatable structure with a diameter of 20 metres, was designed to accompany the Canopy Glider on its missions. This structure also offers an all-weather working area for the teams on the ground. Day and night, it is in some way the cornerstone of the missions. As partners of the Canopy Dome, Solvay and SolVin are contributing their know-how and their product, PVC, to this project, which are indispensable for the construction of the structure and the related implementation technologies. Participation in this kind of project also allows Solvay and SolVin to gain an insight into a complete ecological system, the tropical forest, which manages its natural resources in a sustainable manner, an example that serves as inspiration for our practices and activities. SolVin combines the competences of Solvay and BASF in the European vinyls sector. The synergies achieved in know-how and organization, the complementarities of product ranges as well as upstream integration have built up SolVin as a leader on the PVC and PVDC markets. The joint venture has operations in France, Germany, Spain and the Benelux countries and a total annual production capacity of 1.3 million tons of PVC, with nearly 2000 employees. Solvay owns 75% of SolVin and BASF, the remaining 25%.
SOLVAY is an international chemical and pharmaceutical Group with headquarters in Brussels. It employs some 30,000 people in 50 countries. In 2005 its consolidated sales amounted to EUR 8.6 billion generated by its three activity sectors: Chemicals, Plastics and Pharmaceuticals. SOLVAY (Euronext : SOLB.BE - Bloomberg: SOLB.BB - Reuters: SOLBt.BR) is listed on the Euronext stock exchange in Brussels. Details are available at www.solvay.com
For further information :
SOLVAY S.A. head office
33, rue du Prince Albert
1050 Brussels
Tel : 32 2 509 64 54 jacques.degerlache@solvay.com
