Bart Muys

Bart Muys (born 1963) is a Belgian professor of forest ecology and forest management at the KU Leuven. His research focuses on the ecosystem functioning of tree diversity, the ecology of forest restoration and the evaluation of sustainability in forests and bioenergy systems.[1] He is one of the most cited scientists internationally in the field of silviculture and forest management.[2][3]

Bart Muys
Born1963
NationalityBelgian
Occupationprofessor
Academic background
Alma materGhent University
ThesisSynecological evaluation of the earthworm activity and litter decomposition in forests of the Flemish region: contribution to sustainable forest management (1993)
Academic work
Disciplineforest ecology and forest management
InstitutionsKU Leuven

Biography

He obtained a PhD from Ghent University in 1993 on research about earthworms and litter decomposition in Flemish forests. He was director of the Royal Institute for the Sustainable Management of Natural Resources and the Promotion of Clean Technology (KINT-IRGT) from 1995 to 1997.[4][5] He is professor of forest ecology and forest management at KU Leuven since 1997.[6]

Research

The research group of Muys is one of the world's leading research groups in the field of Jatropha curcas.[7] In addition to research into the ecology of jatropha,[8][9] he also investigated the potential (and sustainability) of jatropha as a biofuel. His research shows that jatropha mainly has (sustainable) potential as a smaller-scale energy source, on locations where there are few alternative energy sources or in places with degraded land.[10]

Muys also conducts research into sustainable forest management. He compared and evaluated, for example, the sustainability of different types of forest management [11] and also conducted research into the (local) cooling effect of forests. For example, he was co-author in one of the most highly cited scientific papers in the high impact journal Global Environmental Change.[12] This paper, called Trees, forests and water: Cool insights for a hot world, gives an overview of the important effects of trees on helping to retain water on the ground and to produce cooling moisture, which in turn has a positive impact on food security and climate change adaptation.[13][14] Muys also demonstrated that the surface temperature can be used to monitor the restoration of degraded tropical forests.[15] In addition to research on forest restoration, he also led several projects on forest restoration in the tropics.[16]

Muys' observations on earthworms contributed in 2019 to an article in Science on the global distribution of earthworm biodiversity.[17]

Books
  • Den Ouden, J., Muys, B., Mohren, G. M. J., & Verheyen, K. (2010), Bosecologie en bosbeheer, Uitgeverij Acco, ISBN 978-90-2347212-4
  • Heil, G.W., Muys, B. & Hansen, K. (2007) Environmental Effects of Afforestation in North-Western Europe: From Field Observations to Decision Support, Springer Publ., Series Plant and Vegetation Vol. 1, 325p. ISBN 978-1-4020-4568-4

References
  1. "Bart Muys". WeForest.
  2. "Google Scholar Author Search label:silviculture".
  3. "Google Scholar Author Search label:forest_management".
  4. "Raad van Bestuur". Bos+.
  5. Peeters, Jef (20 January 2002). "Bosbeleid in Vlaanderen van heden naar toekomst" [Forest policy in Flanders from today to the future]. Oikos (in Dutch).
  6. Borkent, I.; Schmidt, P. (20 September 2010). "De redacteuren van 'Bosecologie en Bosbeheer: Samenwerking tussen Vlaanderen en Nederland echt een verrijking". Vakblad Natuur, Bos en Landschap (in Dutch).
  7. "QUINVITA and K.U.Leuven receive €715K grant from IWT". Science Business. Science Business. 23 June 2011.
  8. Maes, W.; H. A.; Trabucco, A.; Achten, W. M.; Muys, B. (2009). "Climatic growing conditions of Jatropha curcas L.". Biomass and Bioenergy. 33 (10): 1481–1485. doi:10.1016/j.biombioe.2009.06.001.
  9. Maes, W. H.; Achten, W. M; Reubens, B; Raes, D.; Samson, R.; Muys, B. (2009). "Plant–water relationships and growth strategies of Jatropha curcas L. seedlings under different levels of drought stress" (PDF). Journal of Arid Environments. 73 (10): 877–884. doi:10.1016/j.jaridenv.2009.04.013.
  10. Achten, W. M.; Mathijs, E.; Verchot, L.; Singh, V. P.; Aerts, R.; Muys, B. (2007). "Jatropha biodiesel fueling sustainability?" (PDF). Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining. 1 (4): 283–291. doi:10.1002/bbb.39.
  11. Holvoet, B.; & Muys, B. (2004). "Sustainable forest management worldwide: a comparative assessment of standards". International Forestry Review. 6 (2): 99–122. doi:10.1505/ifor.6.2.99.38388. S2CID 154280484.
  12. "Most Cited Global Environmental Change Articles - The most cited articles published since 2017, extracted from Scopus". Elsevier.
  13. World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) (20 March 2017). "Reconsider the impact of trees on water cycles and climate, scientists say -Trees, forests recycle water and modify climate". ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily.
  14. llison D., Morris C.E., Locatelli B., Sheil D., Cohen J., Murdiyarso D., Gutierrez V., van Noordwijk M., Creed I.F., Pokorny J., Gaveau D., Spracklen D.V., Bargués Tobella A., Ilstedt U., Teuling A.J., Gebreyohannis Gebrehiwot S., Sands D.C., Muys B., Verbist B., Springgay E., Sugandi Y., Sullivan C.A. (2017). "Trees, forests and water: Cool insights for a hot world". Global Environmental Change. 43 (51–61): 51–61. doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2017.01.002.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. Aerts, R.; Wagendorp, T.; November, E.; Behailu, M.; Deckers, J.; Muys, B. (2004). "Ecosystem Thermal Buffer Capacity as an Indicator of the Restoration Status of Protected Areas in the Northern Ethiopian Highlands". Restoration Ecology. 12 (4): 586–596. doi:10.1111/j.1061-2971.2004.00324.x.
  16. WeForest. "Bart Muys".
  17. Phillips, H. R.; Guerra, C. A.; Bartz, M. L.; Briones, M. J.; Brown, G.; Ferlian, O., ...; Bach, E. M. (2019). "Global distribution of earthworm diversity". Science. 366 (6464): 480–485. doi:10.1126/science.aax4851. PMC 7335308. PMID 31649197.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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