Chytridiomycosis related mortality in a midwife toad (Alytes obstetricans) in Belgium

Chytridiomycosis, caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, contributes to amphibian declines worldwide. Recently, the fungus has shown to be widely distributed in Belgium and the Netherlands, although no clinical cases of the disease have been diagnosed yet. This case report describes the first case of mortality due to chytridiomycosis in Belgium in a wild population of midwife toads (Alytes obstetricans). The presence of clinical chytridiomycosis, combined with the relatively high prevalence of the fungus in Belgium, emphasizes the urgent need for a thorough study on the impact of infection on the native amphibian populations in Belgium

Timebanking: Case Study Report

Theme [ssh.2013.3.2-1][Social Innovation- Empowering People, changing societies]. Project Full Title: “Transformative Social Innovation Theory project”First full draft: 13 February 2015Versión resumida disponible en: http://www.transitsocialinnovation.eu/resource-hub/transformative-social-innovation-narrative-timebanking[Abstract] This case study report focuses on how timebanking initiatives are organised both through networks and, sometimes, as stand-alone initiatives. The transnational network organisation under study is the hOurworld organisation. The case study also has two local cases: the UK and Spain. The study was guided by four empirical research questions based upon a preliminary conceptual framework of the TRANSIT-project. The four questions concern: 1 the overall development of the local cases and the transnational network(ing); 2 how they relate to different types of change and innovation (incl. social innovation, system innovation, game- changers, narratives of change and societal transformation); 3 how actors are empowered and/or disempowered in and by the local cases and the transnational network(ing), including topics such as governance, learning, resourcing and monitoring; 4 what are other relevant emergent issues with regard to understanding the dynamics of transformative social innovation.This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no 613169http://hdl.handle.net/2183/3006