Yiriba, des sources de vie au Mali

06/05/2010 - Article

A film documentary on forest islands with original biodiversity in southern Mali, seen through a research project coordinated by CIRAD and the IRD.

In southern Mali, the grasslands contain scattered rainforest fragments, a legacy from a time when tropical rainforests were more widespread. These isolated forest islands, around water sources, are host to an original biodiversity that contrasts with that of the surrounding grasslands. That biodiversity also provides local populations with a wide range of services.

Researchers from CIRAD and the IRD are coordinating a research programme funded by the French Ministry of Ecology and Sustainable Development, centring on a study of the biodiversity of these refuge zones through three study models: rodents, bats, and trees. The film traces the progress of the project, from the initial hypotheses to the first conclusions.

The researchers have developed ways of measuring, inventorying and analysing their biological models, and have also surveyed local people to gain more information on and a better understanding of the overall functioning of these unusual systems. Over and above their scientific interest, these forests are a concentration of original biological resources that are of vital importance to the villagers living nearby. The results of this research on these rich but fragile forest fragments are passed on to national and international organizations, to ensure the sustainable conservation of these natural environments, while respecting the requirements of local people.

The film was shown at the 2010 edition of CinéSciences, the Languedoc-Roussillon scientific film festival.
It is available on DVD.

Yiriba, des sources de vie au Mali
Directors: Jean-François Trébuchon and Franck Renaud
Scientific advisers: Laurent Granjon (IRD), Philippe Birnbaum (CIRAD) and Jakob Fahr (University of Ulm)
Coproduction: IRD, CIRAD, 43 min, 2009