WHAT WE DO

BIODESERTS is a CIBIO-BIOPOLIS research group developing

leading research in DESERTS and ARID REGIONS

OUR MISSION

Our Mission is to contribute to the conservation of desert and arid regions' biodiversity and the sustainable future of these unique ecosystems by integrating RESEARCH, EDUCATION, and OUTREACH.

We are deeply commited in:

Technology Transfer

Sharing experiences, knowledge, and innovative methodological tools developed to optimize biodiversity conservation among local governments, universities, and other institutions.

Capacity Building

Empowering individuals and communities by strengthening their skills, competencies, and abilities, fostering environmentally conscious attitudes to promote biodiversity conservation.

Science Dissemination

Raising public awareness about the value of deserts, their biodiversity, cultural, economic, and ecological importance, and the ecosystem services they provide.

OUR VISION

Assess biodiversity distribution patterns

Map distribution areas of particular taxonomic groups and of biodiversity hotspots, identify environmental and physiological factors related to biodiversity distribution, and develop multi-time and -scale ecological models of species distribution.

Understand evolutionary and landscape processes

Identify phylogenetic relationships in desert-ranged taxa, assess phylogeographic patterns and of diversification mechanisms, identify population structure and geographical barriers in the landscape to gene flow and population connectivity.

Contribute for conservation planning

Identify threatened species, evaluate regional conservation statuses, determine relevant genetic conservation units in endangered desert- dwelling taxa, and simulate the effects of climate change on biodiversity distribution.

We have conducted extensive research and fieldwork across several African countries, from Morocco and Tunisia in the north to Mauritania and Mali in the west, as well as Libya, Niger, Chad, and Namibia in the south. Additionally, our work extends to the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia and Iran.