Updated 22/01/24
The Occitanie regional delegation relies on the multidisciplinary nature of its research teams from the North and the South, focusing on six priorities defined by the Institute: combating poverty, migrations, emerging diseases, climate change and natural hazards, access to water, and ecosystems. These priorities are structured around five research axes shared among the 26 research units in Occitanie and three associated research units.
© IRD - Daina Rechner
Sécheresse au Sahel
1- Understanding global changes, anticipating risks, and hazards
The research teams of the IRD gathered within the department 'Internal and Surface Dynamics of Continents' (DISCO) study the functioning of the Earth system through its physical and biogeochemical dynamics, subject to global changes (climatic, economic, demographic). The research works revolve around two main structuring axes: one focusing on the observation and modeling of continental physical environments, and the other centered on the interactions between the evolution of physical environments and socio-economic dynamics. The scientific objectives include understanding global changes, particularly climate change, quantifying hazards, reducing risks for populations, and prospecting for new resources.
The units involved:
- UMR CESBIO - Center for the Study of the Biosphere from Space
- UMR G-EAU - Water Management, Actors, and Uses
- UMR GET - Geoscience Environment Toulouse
- UMR HSM - Hydrosciences Montpellier
- UMR LISAH - Laboratory for the Study of Soil-Agroecosystem-Water System Interactions
- UMS CPST - Data and Services Poles Coordination for Earth System
- UMS OMP - Midi-Pyrenees Observatory
- UMS OREME - Mediterranean Environmental Research Observatory
- UMR LAERO - Aerology Laboratory
FOCUS: How does drip irrigation transform societies?
Water savings, poverty reduction, or agricultural modernization... Drip irrigation is credited with beneficial effects for farmers in emerging and developing countries. The book "Drip Irrigation for Agriculture" addresses this process as a socio-technical phenomenon. Beyond the successes or disillusionments of users and the transformation of agricultural systems, this technology has repercussions on the very organization of societies, as evidenced by case studies in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Mediterranean, Latin America, and South Asia.
© IRD - Daniel Sabatier
Forêt de Guyane
2- Preserving biodiversity
The scientific inquiries conducted by the Department of Ecology, Biodiversity, and Functioning of Continental Ecosystems (Ecobio) primarily focus on the role of environments, living organisms, and their interactions in:
- The functioning of continental ecosystems and the services they provide to societies.
- The adaptation of continental ecosystems to global changes.
- Preservation of diversity.
- lResilience of ecosystems against global and demographic changes.
- The relationships between continental systems and the climatic machinery.
The involved units are:
- UMR AMAP - Botany and modeling of plant architecture and vegetation.
- UMR CBGP - Center for Biology and Population Management.
- UMR CEFE - Center for Functional and Evolutionary Ecology.
- UMR DIADE - Diversity, Adaptation, Development of Plants.
- UMR Eco&Sols - Functional Ecology and Biogeochemistry of Soils and Agro-ecosystems.
- UMR CRBE - Center for Biodiversity and Environment Research
- UMR ISEM - Institute of Evolutionary Sciences of Montpellier.
- EMR LGDP - Mango - Laboratory of Genome and Plant Development.
- UMR PHIM - Plant Health Institute of Montpellier
FOCUS: Trees as Witnesses of the Amerindian Past?
Contrary to popular belief, the so-called "virgin" Amazon rainforests are not untouched! They have been altered by humans. This has been evidenced through the analysis of data from the international network, Amazon Tree Diversity Network. 85 tree species used by pre-Columbian populations dominate large current forested areas, particularly near known archaeological sites. Scientists suggest preserving wild populations of these domesticated species pre-dating 1492, which are still vital for Amazonian inhabitants
© IRD - Pascal Dumas
Récif - étoile de mer au Vanuatu
3- Sustainably managing oceanic resources
The Department of Oceans, Climate, and Resources (OCEANS) brings together IRD oceanographers of diverse disciplines: physicists, chemists, biogeochemists, biologists, ecologists, fisheries scientists, and more. The focus of this research is to understand how the physical and ecological changes in the ocean particularly impact populations in the intertropical zone.
The involved units are:
- UMR LEGOS - Laboratory for the Study of Geophysics and Spatial Oceanography
- UMR Marbec - Marine Biodiversity, Exploitation, and Conservation
FOCUS: Oxygen in the Ocean: From Producer to Consumer
In the ocean, shallow areas known as "oxygen minimum zones" are generally inhospitable to life due to significantly lower dissolved oxygen levels, ranging from 100 to a million times less than the surface layer. However, during recent oceanographic expeditions, scientists have detected chlorophyll-producing microorganisms in these zones that create this vital molecule. Unnoticed until now was the fact that neighboring aerobic bacteria directly consume the produced oxygen, masking this local cycle. This discovery challenges the perception of these areas, which are not as inactive as previously believed!
© IRD - Alain Tendero
Prélèvements sanguins en Guinée
4- Improving population health
work of major health challenges outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals, research units within the Health and Societies Department (SAS) contribute to improving the health of populations in the Global South. The conducted work combines two complementary aspects of research: enhancing knowledge and implementing research projects on one hand, and intervention or operational research with a direct impact on populations, supporting combat programs on the other. A multidisciplinary approach that combines biomedical sciences and human and social sciences is emphasized.
The involved units are:
- UMR INTERTRYP - Host-vector-parasite-environment interactions in neglected tropical diseases caused by trypanosomatids.
- UMR MIVEGEC - Infectious Diseases and Vectors: Ecology, Genetics, Evolution, and Control.
- UMR MoISA - Markets, Organizations, Institutions, and Actors' Strategies.
- UMR QualiSud - Integrated approach for producing quality foods.
- UMR PHARMADEV - Pharmacochimie and Biology for Development.
- UMR TransVIHMI - ranslational Research on HIV and Infectious Diseases.
- GHIGS - Infectious Diseases in Resource-Limited Countries.
FOCUS: A Unique Cancer in Peru
Contrary to scientific descriptions elsewhere in the world, Peruvian patients affected by hepatocellular carcinoma are younger. Researchers from IRD, the Pasteur Institute, and INRAe have described previously unknown clinical and pathophysiological characteristics of this liver cancer. In collaboration with doctors from the National Cancer Institute in Peru, they have characterized a spectrum of mutations that molecularly delineate the specificity of this form of cancer.
© IRD - Christian Lamontagne
Valorisation des produits du terroir en Tunisie
5- Understanding societies in tropical and Mediterranean regions
Understanding contemporary societies in tropical and Mediterranean regions, focusing on analyzing the dynamics, changes, adaptations, and resistances that run through and drive them, is the primary objective of the Department of Societies and Globalization (SOC). The conducted research approaches societal issues in an interdisciplinary manner, aiming to demonstrate their implications and relevance for both so-called 'Southern' and 'Northern' countries. These research efforts share a commitment to understanding diverse societal dynamics, an in-depth knowledge of fieldwork, and an approach that considers different scales.
The involved units are:
- UMR Espace-Dev - Space for Development
- UMR LAM - Africa in the World
- UMR SENS - Knowledge, Environment, and Societies
- UAR MSH SUD - House of Human and Social Sciences of Montpellier
FOCUS: Combating Cross-Border Malaria
Malaria transmission in cross-border areas is considered a major obstacle to the elimination of this disease. The Guyana-Brazil border interface harbors significant circulation of several parasite species, thereby supporting the persistence of the disease among vulnerable and/or mobile indigenous populations. The support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for the Fighting Malaria project will enable the construction of a harmonized database between Brazil and French Guiana to surveil this area effectively.
