Southern Africa

30/07/20

South African-French agricultural research cooperation gets a boost with tripartite agreement between ARC, CIRAD and INRAE

South African-French agricultural research cooperation has received a major boost with the signing of a ground-breaking new tripartite agreement.

27/07/20

Researchers build first AI tool capable of identifying individual birds

New research demonstrates for the first time that artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to train computers to recognise individual birds, a task humans are unable to do. The research is published in the British Ecological Society journal Methods in Ecology and Evolution.

09/07/20

Regional focus: Infectious diseases in the centre of the scientists’ target

Their names are Florian, Muriel, Andres, Veerle, Louis-Clément... Each morning, a community of IRD researchers working in Southern, Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean wakes up with a simple idea in mind: fighting communicable diseases which have significant effects on the region’s populations.

30/06/20

Citizen science: a great tool for socio-ecological studies

A new study shows the multiple insights that citizens bring while participating in an ecological assessment. Involving the local population ensures both the creation of reliable data and a greater public support for scientific and conservation projects.

25/06/20 - 23/09/20

CNRS Call - International Emerging Action

The CNRS launched its annual call for the creation of International Emerging Actions, one of its international collaboration tools.

20/06/20

Covid-19: our partners at the forefront of the fight - Zimbabwe

Numerous scientific partners of IRD, in France and in the countries of the Global South, are at the forefront of the fight against the pandemic, through actions of research, in the field and in support of public decision. Meet Prof. Pfukenyi, from the University of Zimbabwe.

16/06/20

[Meet a scientist] Moagabo Ragoasha: once an IRD scholarship holder, now an oceanographer in the SA-France network

Moagabo Ragoasha has just defended her PhD and is now a qualified South African physical oceanographer. Thanks to the IRD scholarship program, she had the opportunity to share her PhD time between France and South Africa. Let’s have a chat with her so she can share her experience with us!

09/06/20 - 07/07/20

CNRS INSB call - International Research Projects and Networks

The 2020 call for the creation or renewal of International Research Projects (IRP) or International Research Network (IRN) in the field of biological sciences is open until July 7, 2020.

08/06/20

Report argues for land redistribution to create new jobs in agriculture in South Africa

Bruno Losch, political economist at Cirad based at the University of the Western Cape, contributed to this study highlighting the possibilities of job creations if South Africa chooses the path of a pro-poor land reform.

08/06/20

Zimbabwe: Research carries on, from laboratory to remote working

Florian Liégeois, an IRD virologist, has been hosted by the University of Zimbabwe, in Harare, for the past few months. The country having implemented lockdown regulations since last April, he and his partners needed a new organisation so that their research on coronaviruses continues.

22/05/20

Covid-19: improving knowledge on coronaviruses carried by bats to protect human populations

IRD, Cirad and the University of Zimbabwe, long-standing research partners in animal and zoonotic diseases, launched a new project on the genetic diversity of coronaviruses found in Zimbabwean bats.

14/05/20

Fire smoke from South America reaches the Namibian coast

A team of scientists conducted an analysis of the aerosol composition over the Namibian coast. The atmosphere contains smoke coming from biomass fires in Angola and also South America.

11/05/20

We found high UV doses at high-altitude hiking trails in Reunion and Cape Town

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun is important for life on earth and especially for humans.

03/05/20

[Meet a scientist] Dinis Juizo: Making sure that water flows under every bridge

Spread along the Mozambican channel and crossed by 9 major cross-border rivers, Mozambique and its 30 million inhabitants have to share the limited fresh water resources they are offered. Dinis Juizo is a civil engineer, specialised in hydrology and water resources management at the Eduardo Mondlane...

30/04/20

Baboon mothers carry their dead infant for up to ten days

Scientists studying wild Namibian chacma baboons showed that baboon mothers care, protect and carry their dead infants on average for 3 to 4 days, and up to ten days.

30/04/20

South Africa leads the dynamic African cooperation with European research

The European Union H2020 Programme is coming to an end with not less than €80 billion dedicated to research and innovation over the last 7 years. The new framework programme, Horizon Europe, will follow from 2021 to 2027.

22/04/20

Competing for nesting sites influences a species’ social evolution

As a small rodent living in South Africa, the four striped-mouse, genus Rhabdomys , faces many challenges to live and breed. Nest-selection is particularly important for small creatures to hide from predators and protect the young.

21/04/20

Modern men dressed with carnivore fur: a 100,000 year-old style in South Africa

Analysis of the remains of carnivores at the Diepkloof Rock Shelter site in South Africa has brought to light the oldest known traces of exploitation of feline fur by the first representatives of our species on the African continent.

14/04/20

Safeguarding biodiversity is essential to prevent the next COVID-19

Experts share their insights on the link between biodiversity loss and emerging infectious diseases.

06/04/20

African and Asian societies in the digital era

When did you last use your fingerprint as identification? When was the last time you had a look at WhatsApp? For most of us, these habits are part of our everyday life. Even though we are used to them today, they cause major disruption and changes, as all new technologies do.