The IRD
IRD is a French public research institute working for the development of Southern countries, reporting to the Ministries responsible for research and overseas development.
IRD is managing for more than sixty years research, consultancy and capacity building activities in Africa, the Mediterranean basin, Asia, Latin America and French overseas territories;
IRD researchers address major development challenges regarding environment, sustainable development of living resources, social studies and health
Annual report
Sciences au Sud - IRD newspaper
Sciences au Sud n°51 - September-October 2009
October 2009
When invasive species encroach in the South
Invasive exotic species represent the second cause of erosion of biodiversity on the world scale, according to the International Union for Conservation of
Nature. Although the subject now receives wide media coverage in the industrialized countries of the North, the South is also confronted with this phenomenon , one of the accelerators of which is globalization.
Apart from the environmental significance, there are significant impacts on the economic sphere and public health. A multitude of questions arise which relate to many different disciplines. One of the major challenges for which the IRD applying its competences is to achieve an understanding of the factors behind the success of invasive species. The research work undertaken should provide the tools for rapid identification of the invasive species and contribute to the development of methods for their surveillance, control, or even eradication, especially in the islands.