VLIRUOS project features in Nature Magazine
“Deep gashes in the earth are slicing up cities, swallowing houses and displacing vast numbers of people”
“Hazardous science that helps to save and improve lives needs more support”
The international scientific magazine Nature features a project of VLIRUOS. The edition of 28 August talks about the challenging conditions of many important studies, and the need for more support. The reason for this call for more support is the study into the scale and impact of urban gullies in DR Congo.
Gullies are gigantic trenches caused by soil erosion. They can result from inappropriate urban planning and insufficient infrastructure to safely store and evacuate rainfall in environments that are already highly sensitive. Hundreds of thousands of people are at risk of displacement, but the hazard still stays underestimated and under-researched.
"Research in challenging conditions should be better supported, funded and appreciated on its own terms. Institutions, funders and publishers must show heightened awareness of what such studies take to produce and the importance of publicizing the results. The ultimate purpose of science is not only to understand the world, but also to help make it safer. The whole research ecosystem must pull together to assist that aim."
This study forms the base of a recently launched VLIRUOS short initiative project and was established through a project by ARES. Matthias Vanmaercke from KU Leuven and Eric Lutete Landu from University of Kinshasa are the promoters of the VLIRUOS project.
Image: Matthias Vanmaercke