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Le journal de l'IRD
n° 66 September-October 2012
Translator: Technicis
p. 2 News
W
© IRD / A. Piroux
hat can a little turtle just a few
centimetres long do against an
ocean current that’s carrying it away?
Swim! Even if they swim for only onto to
three hours a day, at less than one kilometre an hour,
loggerhead sea
turtles
can
influence, even
change their
direction.
p. 4 Partner
South Asia: rodents
under surveillance
odents are a major reservoir of diseases transmissible to humans, which is why
they are the focus of a crucial
study. Nearly 3,000 of these
little mammals have been
collected at eleven sites across
Laos, Cambodia and Thailand
over the last four years, as part of the CEROPATH programme involving more than 15 institutions. The analysis of the dynamics of these animals, their parasites and the pathogens
that can affect humans has been a major contribution to improved knowledge of
the diversity and distribution of these rodents. Detailed spatial analysis of the sites has
revealed the characteristics of their preferred habitats and the prevalence of infections.
The study has confirmed that diversity of rodents and complexity of habitats seem to
reduce the risk of infection.
p. 3 News
© IRD / D. Sabatier
The tiger mosquito is much
more promiscuous than
was thought
T
he reproductive habits of the Tiger
Mosquito is making life difficult for
the vector control of diseases, since the
males are particularly sexually active, and
several fathers can contribute to a single
set of eggs. But these discoveries will
enable researchers to focus on a new
and promising method: the sterile insect
technique.
p. 5 Partner
Past, present and future
of the African monsoon
I
© IRD / J. Derrider
© IRD / J. Demarty
n ten years of strong partnership, the
Amma programme has built up a vast
network of specialists on the African
monsoon. As the project enters phase
two, these specialists are turning their
attention to the possible applications of
these results.
© IRD / T. Lebel
Sciences au Sud : What role do you think scientists should
play in the development of the Global South?
Pascal Canfin : As I indicated at the IRD’s annual conference in
September, I am convinced that research and researchers are the key players as far as
development is concerned, particularly if publicly funded, since they drive innovation
and invention. In a world of finite resources, it’s essential to work to help the 1.3 billion
people living in extreme deprivation get out of poverty, while finding solutions to enable nine billion human beings live together on the same planet in 2050. This vision of
the world requires innovations at every level. Both the global South and Global North
need to conduct research, in light of the ecological crisis, one of the major symptoms
of which is climate change. One such example is the work undertaken by the IRD in
collaboration with local partners on the issue of the monsoon and climate change,
which will provide the authorities with precise information about the period during
which planting should be done.
Sciences au Sud : What do you think are the defining scientific issues in this context?
P. C. : There are three defining issues in my view, which I will illustrate with three
examples. In light of the 30% drop in rainfall over the last decade, and the hill erosion
in Senegal, we can see that the fight against climate change is urgent both in the
Global North and the Global South. The current importance of this issue should push
scientists to work on it. The second issue is how to feed the whole world while
supporting sustainable development. I think that the IRD’s Peruvian fishing project has
enabled the development of new fishing practices which are beneficial to the environment and to local people. The third major issue is health. We’ve seen the appearance of re-emerging infectious diseases. The International Network of the Institut
Pasteur (RIIP) and the offices of the French National Agency for Research on AIDS and
infectious diseases (ANRS) are collaborating on research with local people into new therapeutic practices to deal with this issue.
R
© EID Méditerranée / J.-B. Ferré
© IRD / University of North Carolina (USA) / K. Lohmann
Cyber-ocean
for cyber-turtles
Cooperatives
for development
p. 5 Partner
Another view of the
tropical moist forest
N
ever again will the tropical
moist forests appear on
maps as single blocks of colour
without nuances. 365 days of
satellite data from the Amazon
had to be compiled and analysed in order to determine that
there are around twenty types of
plant ecosystem, five of which were forests: low forest including savannah, high forest
with a regular canopy, high forest with a discontinuous canopy, and so on. These distinctions may appear superfluous to the layman, but they are essential in order to estimate
the biomasses and carbon stocks, or check which components of the forest biome are
included in protected areas
p. 6 Training
Hydraride field
school in North
Cameroon
T
he Hydraride field school
brought together students
and researchers from the
Global North and Global South
to the Mayo-Tsanaga basin in
North Cameroon over the summer. Thanks to this original training set-up, the young people benefited from the experience of specialists in the study of arid environments. Working with the researchers, they
learned how to analyse landscapes, collect and process samples, and how to put a wide
range of the latest scientific techniques into practice in the field.
T
he cooperative model has many
virtues and is a democratic projection into economic life. It plays an
important role in the countries of the
Global North, particularly in farming,
insurance or finance, and has seen a
resurgence of interest during the recession. It’s a powerful development tool in the
Global South, according to the major operators of international cooperation and the
United Nations, who have made it the focus of two resolutions and declared 2012 the
year of cooperatives. Researchers have a more contrasted view.
p. 8-9 Research
Understanding what volcanoes
tell us so we can anticipate
threats
ugust 4th, Ecuador, Tungurahua erupts. For
nearly a month, this volcano maintained a
high level of activity, with strong degassing
and many associated earthquakes. Hundreds of
thousands of cubic metres of ash and rock were
ejected, with the formation of small pyroclastic
flows on the slopes. Around 110 families were
evacuated. September 13th, Guatemala, it was
Fuego’s turn to speak. Growls, fumaroles, falling
ash. More than 10,000 people were evacuated.
It was this volcano’s strongest eruption in the last
ten years.
Volcanologists are trying to better understand how volcanoes work in order to propose
solutions to minimise the impact of such events, not only to prevent disasters but also
in response to eruptions. In the Andes, they are monitoring magma increases, which
affect how volcanoes behave. They are also studying factors that limit or accentuate
risks, particularly the impact of falling ash, as well as conducting research
into how pyroclastic flows move. In Indonesia, they are interpreting degassing, real
telegrams broadcast by volcanoes when they become active again. On Vanuatu, they
are observing the influence of strong earthquakes on an active volcano.
Some of the bodies undertaking this research are part of the brand new joint international laboratory focussing on Earthquakes and volcanoes in the Northern Andes.
The lab aims to study and warn of all seismic and volcanic threats, and it brings
together the French bodies Geoazur, Laboratoire Magmas et Volcans and the Institut
des sciences de la Terre, at the Geophysics Institute of the National Polytechnic
School of Ecuador.
A
p. 10 Research
Lifting the veil on the Buruli ulcer
T
he Buruli ulcer is one of the neglected emerging
tropical diseases. Yet it is recorded in more than
30 countries, most of which are in Africa. Rarely fatal,
the pathology stigmatizes patients owing to its
impressive skin lesions. The infection is caused by
Mycobacterium ulcerans, a bacillus cousin of those
that cause tuberculosis and leprosy. We are slowly lifting the veil on this bacteria’s ecology and its means of transmission to humans. The
World Health Organization has made it a priority since 1998. Prevention, diagnosis
and treatment should improve
© IRD / S. Meyinaebong
he Sahel is on
full alert. The
desert locusts are
back this October
and FAO is worried. Clouds of these
voracious insects are threatening to
devour fields and pastures. The risk is
to short-term food security, with additional long-term effects. Locust swarms
have severe socio-economic impacts
and can affect a whole generation. A
research team has highlighted the
repercussions of such natural catastrophes, particularly on education.
Extract from an interview with Pascal Canfin,
Minister Delegate attached to the Minister of
Foreign Affairs, with responsibility for Development
p. 15 Planet
From Great Ice to Great Ice
T
p. 13 Planet
History of emerging
epidemics and viruses
C
hikungunya might have caused
the 19th century epidemics in Asia,
even though the first instance of the
disease recorded by a doctor, which
occurred in Africa, dates only from
1953! According to the health anthropologist Dominique Buchillet, the
hypothesis is based on the analysis of
historical data, since there are no biological samples we can use for serological research. The specialist used the
Macau medical archives to study an
epidemic that occurred in the Portuguese enclave in 1874.
wenty years after the start of the
Great Ice programme to study the
Andean glaciers, a joint international
laboratory bearing the same name has
been created to continue the work.
The tropical glaciers of the Andes are
not only precious indicators on the past
and present evolution of the climate,
but also constitute essential water
resources for the region. The glaciers
have been subject to intense thawing,
correlated to the warming of the
Pacific, and their future over the
coming decades raises many issues.
Consult the articles in full on the IRD Internet site: http://www.ird.fr
© IRD / B. Francou
T
p. 7 Research
© DR
© MAEE
Long-term
damage
from locust
swarm
p. 1 News
© GITravel
© IRD / G. Fédière
p. 1 News
© IRD / R. Simenel
Abstracts for the international issue
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