Scientific news sheets
26 elements with the selection : 2008
Page 1 : Results 1 to 5 on 26
A good example of successful bioconversion
December 2008
Intensive cultivation of oil palm is strongly criticized for the destruction of primary forest it causes. In addition to its effects of deforestation, this activity produces environmentally harmful organic residues. Indonesia, which recently became the world’s leading producer of palm oil, ...
Strong Harmattan winds amplify meningitis epidemics
November 2008
Every year, Sub-Saharan Africa is the scene of a meningitis epidemic which hits tens of thousands of people. The geographical zone stretching from Senegal to Ethiopia is known as the “meningitis belt”. For many years the region has been under the scrutiny of scientists aiming to unravel the ...
Learn moreStrong Harmattan winds amplify meningitis epidemics
A role for slash and burn farming in greenhouse effect control
October 2008
A study conducted by an IRD team and its Laotian partners of the National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute (NAFRI) in the undulating region of northern Laos has demonstrated that slash and burn cultivation rather favours storage of organic carbon. Examination of the first centimetres ...
Learn moreA role for slash and burn farming in greenhouse effect control
Towards domestication of the largest fish in the Amazon
October 2008
The Amazon and its tributaries are home to almost one tenth of the world’s freshwater fish biodiversity, 2500 species being recorded. The giant fish Arapaima gigas is one of the most emblematic of these. However, this graceful predator is a victim of overfishing, and is now on the IUCN Red List ...
Learn moreTowards domestication of the largest fish in the Amazon
Coral bleaching disturbs the structure of fish communities
September 2008
Research work reported on recently by an international research team1, including an IRD scientist, brought out evidence of the impact on the fish communities of a mass bleaching event resulting from the 1997-1998 El Niño climatic episode. The investigation was wide in scope, focusing on more ...
Learn moreCoral bleaching disturbs the structure of fish communities