Living creatures

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

Kenya: Science carries on during pandemic, to maintain insect breeding

When the country implemented a national lockdown and travel restrictions due to the current health crisis, Paul-André Calatayud and his kenyan colleagues had to organize in order to keep their research and laboratory work going. They indeed cannot stop their activity as they breed insects that...

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!

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.

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.

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

New bugs, found in Kenya, can help to control major maize pests

Insect pests, such as maize stemborers and fall armyworm, increasingly challenge food production around the world.

22/04/20

Assessing El Niño’s impact on fisheries and aquaculture around the world

New report presents the main regional consequences caused by the five types of the climate pattern.

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.

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.

03/04/20

A COVID-19 interdisciplinary and partnership-based scientific committee at IRD

IRD has created a COVID-19 interdisciplinary and partnership-based scientific committee. Composed of 8 members, who are researchers from the Institute and partners from the South, it is led by the Director of the "Societies and Globalization" Department and the Director of the "Health and Societies"...

16/03/20

The nearly intact ‘Little Foot’ first vertebra reveals previously unknown details about how Australopithecus lived

Meticulous excavation, cleaning and high-resolution micro-CT scanning of the skull of the ~3.67 million-year-old fossil specimen known as “Little Foot” has revealed the most complete Australopithecus first cervical vertebra yet found. A description of the vertebra by Wits researchers Dr Amélie...

21/02/20

Mikoko project: mangrove conservators and local leaders gathered for a one-week training course

The National Museum of Gede (Kilifi County) hosted the first training course organized by the Mikoko project on mangrove forest conservation and restauration from February 18th to 21st.

02/01/20

Trouver des approches pertinentes pour la gestion des ressources naturelles

The start of the year 2020 sees the creation of a new young team associated with the IRD in Southern Africa: ITANGO-MOZ (Innovative Tools and Approaches for Natural Resource Governance in Mozambique). The Maputo-based team aims at reflecting on current policies and practices and at defining tools...

13/12/19

Paul-André Calatayud awarded for his remarkable partnership with icipe

Senior researcher at the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD), Paul-André Calatayud has been working in partnership with Kenyan researchers for many years now. He was just awarded the title of “outstanding partner of the year” by his host institution in Nairobi, the...

04/12/19

Mikoko project: Conserving mangrove as a community

The Mikoko project is particular since it includes the local communities in its very heart. This conviction led the French-Kenyan team of this program dedicated to the conservation of the mangrove forests of the Kenyan coast to the field from November 25th to 28th.

20/11/19

Almost a Third of Tropical Africa’s Flora Faces Extinction

31.7% of tropical Africa’s vascular plant species could be threatened with extinction, reveals an international study coordinated by an IRD researcher, published in the journal Science Advances on 20 November 2019. Using a new approach based on the key elements of the assessment process used by the...

18/11/19

Botswana's Okavango Delta is created by a delicate balance, but for how much longer?

This article on The Conversation Africa was co-signed by Dr Olivier Dauteuil, CNRS senior researcher at the University of Rennes and Dr Mike Murray-Hudson, Senior Research Fellow at the Okavango Research Institute, University of Botswana.

02/09/19

Desertification: meet the IRD's researchers at COP14

The 14th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification is being held in New Delhi (India) from 2 to 13 September with the theme "Restore Land, Sustain Future". The IRD's researchers and their partners are organising and participating in several events alongside...