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    Diseases

    Like all animals, cetaceans are exposed to diseases and biotoxins. However, the number of these diseases is increasing and the emergence of new diseases has been observed in...
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    Environmental problems

    Environmental problems and threats Human activity has had a major negative impact on the marine environment, especially in recent decades. The sea and its biodiversity are being...
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    Fisheries and mariculture

    Fishery, an age-old profession Viewed in economical terms, fishery is a small sector in Belgium and moreover has considerably decreased over the last decades. It however remains...
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    Shipping and ports

    Busy, busy, busy on the North Sea … The North Sea includes some of the busiest sea routes of the world. The most important routes for international maritime transport lie just...
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    Offshore energy production

    Looking for renewable energy Renewable energy has become an important issue. There are some evident reasons for this: • no emission of CO2 that helps to achieve the Kyoto...
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    Sand and gravel extraction

    Should it still be sand? The sand and gravel exploitation in the Belgian part of the North Sea started in 1976 as an alternative to the extraction of sand and gravel on land. The...
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    Number of cetaceans: an alarming decline

    In recent centuries, there has been a drastic drop in the number of cetaceans due to human activities. It is estimated that over 90 % of the population of large whales has...
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    Scientific research

    Measuring is knowing! The Belgian part of the North Sea is one of the most minutely studied seas. Right from the beginning of the 19th century, different research areas were...
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    Regional and global cooperation

    Because the environmental problems are international in nature - the environment knows no borders - there is a need for an international environmental policy. There are a number...
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    Eutrophication

    What is eutrophication? Eutrophication occurs when too many nutrients - such as phosphates and nitrates - end up in the environment as a result of human activities. Primarily,...