Marternetwerk - Observations of small and medium-sized carnivores in Flanders, Belgium

Occurrence
Latest version published by Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO) on Jan 21, 2026 Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO)
Home:
https://www.vlaanderen.be/inbo/marternetwerk/
Publication date:
21 January 2026
License:
CC0 1.0

Download the latest version of this resource data as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A) or the resource metadata as EML or RTF:

Data as a DwC-A file download 12,400 records in English (568 KB) - Update frequency: as needed
Metadata as an EML file download in English (14 KB)
Metadata as an RTF file download in English (10 KB)

Description

This dataset compiles validated and de-duplicated records of small and medium-sized carnivores, especially mustelids, in Flanders, collected through the Marten Network (MNW) since 1998. The network aims to document species distribution by integrating diverse observation sources while avoiding duplicate records. Because intentional killing of native species is prohibited, the collection of roadkill and other found-dead specimens is essential for obtaining reliable biological and ecological information. Since 2008, online reporting platforms and the use of camera traps have improved monitoring of common species, leading to a shift in focus toward rare and expanding species. For these species, systematic validation of observations and autopsies of collected specimens remain key to assessing population trends and supporting further research. For common species, the continued annual collection of a limited number of specimens represents a valuable continuation and enrichment of existing collections, which can be used for further research into, among other topics, ecotoxicology, wildlife diseases, and genetics.Generalized and/or withheld information: as this dataset includes sensitive priority species, location information is generalized for Pine marten, Otter and Wildcat to 1 km Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) grid cells and for Badger to 5 km UTM grid cells. Besides, camera trap coordinates are also generalized. Original locations are available upon request.We have released this dataset to the public domain under a Creative Commons Zero waiver. We would appreciate it if you follow the INBO norms for data use (https://www.inbo.be/en/norms-data-use) when using the data. If you have any questions regarding this dataset, don't hesitate to contact us via the contact information provided in the metadata or via opendata@inbo.be.For the data management plan (DMP) of the MNW project, see Veltjen et al. (2025).

Data Records

The data in this occurrence resource has been published as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A), which is a standardized format for sharing biodiversity data as a set of one or more data tables. The core data table contains 12,400 records.

This IPT archives the data and thus serves as the data repository. The data and resource metadata are available for download in the downloads section. The versions table lists other versions of the resource that have been made publicly available and allows tracking changes made to the resource over time.

Versions

The table below shows only published versions of the resource that are publicly accessible.

Rights

Researchers should respect the following rights statement:

The publisher and rights holder of this work is Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO). To the extent possible under law, the publisher has waived all rights to these data and has dedicated them to the Public Domain (CC0 1.0). Users may copy, modify, distribute and use the work, including for commercial purposes, without restriction.

GBIF Registration

This resource has been registered with GBIF, and assigned the following GBIF UUID: c00c9fc8-094e-4a78-b9d0-530c32318ffe.  Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO) publishes this resource, and is itself registered in GBIF as a data publisher endorsed by Belgian Biodiversity Platform.

Keywords

Occurrence; mustelids; carnivores; monitoring; Flanders

Contacts

Jan Gouwy
  • Metadata Provider ●
  • Originator ●
  • Point Of Contact
Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO)
BE
Anneleen Rutten
  • Metadata Provider ●
  • Originator
Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO)
BE
Kristof Baert
  • Originator
Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO)
BE
Filip Berlengee
  • Originator
Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO)
BE
Kurt Schamp
  • Originator
Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO)
BE
Stijn Cooleman
  • Metadata Provider ●
  • Originator
Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO) / Belgian Biodiversity Platform
BE
Frederic Piesschaert
  • Originator
Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO)
BE
Koen Van Den Berge
  • Originator
Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO)
BE

Geographic Coverage

Flanders, Belgium

Bounding Coordinates South West [50.67, 2.53], North East [51.51, 5.94]

Taxonomic Coverage

Including more than 16 mammal species, this dataset centers on the Mustelidae family — notably badgers, martens, otters, and weasels — within the Western Palearctic region.

Kingdom Animalia
Class Mammalia
Order Carnivora
Family Mustelidae, Canidae, Procyonidae, Felidae, Mephitidae

Temporal Coverage

Formation Period 1957-current (especially since 1990s)

Bibliographic Citations

  1. Veltjen, E., Van Den Berge, K., Berlengee, F., Schamp, K., Pieters, S., Baert, K., Rutten, A., Westra, T. (2025). DMP voor het monitoren van carnivoren via het Marternetwerk. Versie 1. Instituut voor Natuur‐ en Bosonderzoek, België. https://pureportal.inbo.be/nl/publications/dmp-voor-het-monitoren-van-carnivoren-via-het-marternetwerk-versi/

Additional Metadata

Alternative Identifiers c00c9fc8-094e-4a78-b9d0-530c32318ffe
https://ipt.inbo.be/resource?r=mnw-small-and-medium-sized-carnivores-observations