The IRD center in Noumea is the Institute’s main location in France’s tropical overseas territories. Its research activities, co-constructed with local partners in the island Pacific countries and territories, are particularly focused on the following themes: ecosystems and natural resources, marine and terrestrial biodiversity, climate change and natural hazards, societal issues, health, vulnerability and sustainability of island territories.

Since the 2000s, the lab and the structure from which it came about (the Espace IRD lab) has been carrying out work in the Pacific in New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Vanuatu and Fiji.

Contact

Marc Despinoy
IRD – UMR ESPACE-DEV
Centre IRD Anse Vata
BPA5 98848 Nouméa Cedex
Nouvelle-Calédonie
Tel : (687) 26 08 32

Main research themes

  • Monitoring of tropical island environmental dynamics by mathematical modeling and remote sensing at very high spatial, spectral and temporal resolution (risk of vector-borne disease emergence; species distribution; erosion risks; fire monitoring, impacts of climate change, etc.).
  • Description and analysis of the multiple dynamics of various actors within their own environment in indo-pacific island systems: knowledge, practices and perceptions. Analysis of the viability and vulnerability of island and coastal territories under stress from global changes (including climate change) with a view to their integrated management (environmental conservation policies; fisheries management; articulation and negotiation of local and global norms, values and knowledge; environmental services…).

Members

6 researchers (environmental anthropologist ethnoecologist, sea and island geographer, conservation geographer, coastal geographer, biogeographic hydrologist, mathematical modeler) and a geomatics research engineer are currently working on this area. Permanent: Catherine Sabinot, (CR) environmental anthropologist and ethnoecologist, as well as Marc Despinoy, (IR) specialized in image and signal processing, handling the lab unit at the IRD center in Noumea.

4 PhD students

Key Research Achievements

  • Disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches to island and marine territories towards a better governance
  • Interdisciplinary approaches to post-colonial island societies
  • Innovative methods for detecting spatial footprints (cyclones, coral bleaching, urban sprawl, …) based on change detection
  • Interdisciplinary approaches to environmental/societal risks (shark risk, etc.) and health risks (emerging epidemics: malaria, etc.).