n° 77 - décembre 2014-janvier 2015
Le journal de l'IRD
Translations: Technicis
p. 7 Research
Mosquito nets and flames
Coral reef fish: a
biodiversity model
L
F
© IRD / M. Egrot
p. 8-9 Research
p. 4 Partnerships
Satellite monitoring of a landslide
I
© IRD / P. Lacroix
n just over a century, two out of
three big fish have disappeared.
These are the findings of a report
that has just been published by
researchers from French research
organisation
IRD
and
their
Canadian, Italian and Spanish
partners. Scientists have retraced
the development of world fisheries
resources between 1880 and
2007. In order to do this, they have
created models of around 200
marine ecosystems, based on data
relating to habitat, ecology and
feeding conditions for more than
3000 species. The results are clear:
stocks of tuna, grouper, ray, shark
and even swordfish have fallen by
two-thirds. The rate of decline has
accelerated since the 1970s.
I
n July 2013, there was an earthquake near Arequipa, in the south of Peru. When
it comes to misfortune, it never rains but it pours; the tremor reactivated a massive
landslide not far away. The village of Maca, in the Colca valley which is popular
with tourists, has lived alongside this threat for more than twenty years. A previous
incident in 1991 left around fifteen people dead. This time, there were no victims
reported. On the other hand, this new earthquake has provided researchers with
an opportunity. IRD geophysicists and their Peruvian partners from the Instituto
Geológico Minero y Metalúrgico (INGEMMET) have been closely monitoring the
Maca landslide since 2011.In this way they have been able to directly observe this
type of geological event triggered by an earthquake.
Camps and refugees: a
world of transformations
D
riven by war, poverty and
humanitarian tragedies, twelve
million people live isolated from the
world, grouped together in camps for
refugees or migrants. This organised
confinement, a source of marginalisation and social displacement, does not
however make it a lifeless and sterile environment. Life continues for the refugees
and their future paths develop. For more than twenty years, researchers at IRD and
their partners have been surveying and analysing these transformations at work in
the camps.
p. 10 Research
Coffee: the science behind quality
U
nder pressure from more and more
demanding consumers, coffee is no longer
a simple raw material. Understanding the
biochemicals that determine its quality has become a real challenge for researchers
as well as industrialists. With the recent genomic decoding of the coffee plant, the
secrets of this drink are being uncovered using ultra-modern scientific techniques.
More than 2.25 billion cups of coffee are drunk each day.
p. 11 Development
Bio-fertilisers: from the laboratory
to the fields
p. 5 Partnerships
No poor
T
© IRD / N. Duprey
© IRD / S. Bredeloup
B
hells tell you wonderful stories if
you know how to listen to them.
The same goes for the fossils of clams
discovered by archaeologists in New
Caledonia and Vanuatu. They can tell
you the story of the Lapita people’s
colonisation of the Remote Oceania
3000 years ago. They were early
mariners who navigated the high seas
and managed to visit the last territories
unexplored by man over only one
and a half centuries. Meteorological
conditions at the time could explain
the speed with which the Lapita
people crossed more than 4000km of
high seas. But what where they? The
clams have provided the answers as
they are exceptional climate markers.
Their shells store information on
temperature and ocean salinity at the
time when the mollusc was growing.
With this data, the researchers can
have an idea about the climatic
conditions at that time.
© IRD / T. Wade
Whispering clams
he NO POOR project, coordinated
by IRD, is the European Union’s
most important research programme
dedicated to the fight against
poverty in developing countries. On
21 November last year, a mid-term
conference was held in Brussels.
For researchers, it was both an
opportunity to evaluate scientific
work that had taken place and to
establish a dialogue with European
decision-makers involved in providing assistance to developing countries, in order
to improve public policies in the fight against poverty. In particular, these discussions
brought to light the desperate need for much more specific and better quality data
on the poor and their distinguishing features. They also highlighted the need for
sectoral policies for reducing poverty to go hand in hand with social measures, such
as respecting the right to work in jobs created, for example.
ow can agricultural productivity be improved in
a sustainable and economically feasible way? In
Senegal, the use of inoculation techniques, which
consist of applying a selection of mycorrhizal fungi
and nitrogen fixing bacteria to plant roots, is a
solution that is being increasing adopted. While there
is a good understanding of laboratory production, the current challenge is to move
towards large-scale production. Technological barriers need to be broken down to
bring about substrate sterilisation of mycorrhizal fungi for mass production in the
country’s remote agricultural areas. This challenge is being picked up by researchers
from LCM (Laboratoire Commun de Microbiologie) in partnership with ESP (Ecole
Supérieur
Polytechnique)
and
producer
organisations.
Is economic solidarity feminist?
I
s economic solidarity also leading to
solidarity towards women? In other words,
is it feminist? Does it act or can it act against
persistent gender inequality? This question has never been asked, neither by those
active in the field, politicians interested in the subject nor by researchers studying
it. An opportunity has now been provided in a symposium dedicated to this debate,
organised by IHEID (Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies)
and IRD.
p. 6 Development
Black carbon in
the water at Ha
Long
S
eas black with carbon,
an aerosol released as
soot during fossil and
biomass fuel combustion
covers the water at Ha
Long bay. No one knows
the effects on the marine
ecosystem. Vietnamese
JEAI
Come&Sea
has
made this a priority issue
for research. Made up of
16 researchers, it is based in four national laboratories. This young team also works
in partnership with UMR ECOSYM research unit and MIO. This Franco-Vietnamese
collaboration is contributing to strengthening Come&Sea’s capacity in microbiology
and biogeochemistry. While working at sea, cooperation between different partners
promotes discussion and knowledge transfer between researchers, postgraduates
and students.
H
p. 13 World
p. 15 World
Visceral leishmaniasis in Thailand
© IRD / X. Mari
p. 2 News stories
© IRD / P. Lashermes
p. 1 News stories
Stocks of big fish
shrunk by two-thirds in
100 years
ew animal groups have these
characteristics: coral reef fish
are the most diversified group of
vertebrates in the world, as in places, several hundred species are found in areas
smaller than 1000m2. They can be identified and counted in situ without too
much difficulty which is a rare occurrence in the animal kingdom, and is extremely
valuable for biologists. The result is that a vast database is available for research
with research stations spread across all the world’s oceans. These fish make up a
highly spatially structured group, as much on a local level, with groups linked to
different types of reefs, as on a global scale, where these types of fish are found in
several locations on the planet, in diverse geographic and environmental conditions.
From this starting point, all comparisons are possible.
© UNHCR / F. Noy / January 2014
ike some medicines, mosquito nets have
side effects. They can catch fire when
coming into contact with a simple small flame,
and may hinder the fight against malaria in
some contexts. For all that, the effectiveness
of this tried and tested preventive measure
on public health is not being called into
question. According to the WHO, 450
million long-lasting insecticide-treated nets
(LLINs) were distributed to populations in
the Southern Hemisphere between 2008
and 2014, significantly contributing to a
50% reduction in incidences and mortality
of this disease during the last ten years. Yet,
this wide availability and increased domestic
coverage does not guarantee they are being used in the most effective way. An
anthropological research programme into prevention and treatment of malaria
has been initiated and entrusted to IRD researchers. One of the arms of this
work addresses the perceptions and use of mosquito nets by populations and the
decision-making processes relating to their use.
© IRD - BalitbangKP INDESO / S. Andrefouët
p. 3 News stories
A
new strain of visceral leishmaniasis has put Thailand into a state of alert. We
have not identified the reservoirs and vectors of Leishmania siamensis, the native
form of the parasite that causes this illness. This state of affairs prompted veterinary
surgeons, doctors and researchers to organise the “Leishmania in Thailand”
workshop at Bangkok Mahidol University in November last year, with support from
IRD. Among other things the discussions highlighted the ineffectiveness of normal
diagnostic methods used to detect visceral leishmaniasis. Researchers put key
development points on the table for improving screening for this disease in humans
and animals. A multidisciplinary programme will be submitted to the WHO during
the first quarter of 2015.
Consult the articles in full on the IRD Internet site: http://www.ird.fr
© Association Aina
© Biosphoto / Pete Oxford / Minden
Abstracts for the international issue
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démocratique du Congo
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IRD
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Mali, Guinée
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IRD, BP 89-67 - 15, rue Abou Derr
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maroc@ird.fr
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