Professor Amaury Frankl from the Department of Geography at Ghent University — who is also a full member of the Royal Academy for Overseas Sciences of Belgium — visited the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning (IARRP), Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) from Sept 5 to 11, 2026. He delivered a public lecture entitled "From Incision to Infilling: Understanding Gully Dynamics in Ethiopia".

In his presentation, Frankl provided a comprehensive overview of the latest advances in global gully mapping research. He shared findings from his studies of gully dynamics in Ethiopia, and assessed the effectiveness of gully control measures while examining representative cases of failure. He also engaged in in-depth discussions with the researchers and graduate students in attendance.

During his visit, Professor Frankl conducted field investigations in representative black soil areas of Heilongjiang Province. He participated in on-site discussions on black soil cropland degradation, patterns of gully evolution, and erosion control measures, sharing insights and experience in erosion research and management across regions.

The two parties also discussed ways to deepen cooperation through the Joint Laboratory of Global Change and Food Security — a collaboration between the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Ghent University. They explored future joint research projects and the joint training of graduate students. Both sides expressed their commitment to building on this visit to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in arable land quality conservation, soil erosion and degradation, global change, and food security, and to advance collaborative research and talent development.

Professor Frankl's research focuses on geomorphic processes, soil erosion and gully erosion, catchment-scale water and sediment connectivity, and three-dimensional surveying using drones and remote sensing imagery. He has published over 120 articles in journals such as Earth-Science Reviews, with more than 3,000 total citations. Twenty of his publications have each been cited more than 100 times, and he has an h-index of 47. He has received funding from the EU's Marie Curie fellowship programme and currently serves as the co-chair of the Ghent University-Africa Platform. He also serves as a member of the Steering Committee of the Interfaculty Drone Research Laboratory at Ghent University and as a member of the soil erosion working group of the EU Soil Observatory. He has also been elected a full member of the Royal Academy for Overseas Sciences of Belgium.