Leuven (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – In 2025, Leuven Natuurpunt got €40,000 from Brabants Woud National Park to use AI insect traps. Wouter Vanreusel says it improves research and shares live insect data with visitors.
As VRT News reported, the Brabants Woud National Park distributes funds each year to support groups and projects that work to protect nature. In 2025, Natuurpunt Leuven got the biggest award, which was €40,000. They’re going to use it for a new project.
They’ll put up 2 special insect traps in the park. These traps will continuously monitor the bugs and collect a large amount of data. The data will be analysed by artificial intelligence systems to identify and count various species. They mentioned that this is a big step up from how they used to watch nature, which was by using seasonal or volunteer-based observations.
How is AI helping Leuven’s Natuurpunt reveal hidden insect life?
Wouter Vanreusel from Natuurpunt says that using AI to watch insects will make the data much better. Before, they used volunteers, but it wasn’t always consistent. Now, they can collect data all year round, which helps them understand how insect populations change.
He said that insects are really important for the environment because they take part in processes like pollination, and they are food for other animals. They can learn about the condition of the forests by looking at the insects, so they can make better management plans to preserve them.
Wouter Vanreusel states that the insect monitoring study in Brabants Woud National Park will be made available to the public, and that visitors will be made aware of the data by sharing information. They can discover interesting details like which moths are active, which insects are pollinating flowers, or if certain times produce notably more mosquitoes.
Wouter is happy because the money will help keep the insect monitoring going and share the results with everyone. He says this is the first time in Belgium that such a detailed insect monitoring system is being used to also share the information with the public easily.
He mentioned that insects are super important, but people don’t always see them. Now, with AI and smart sensors, hidden data will be revealed. Wouter said that there can be educational tools, displays, and online platforms where people can learn about the insects in the park.
