Know to preserve the natural heritage of the Comoros hidden

The 'KNOWN TO STORE: THE NATURAL HERITAGE OF HIDDEN COMOROS' is a response to the call for research proposals "Biodiversity Islands in the Indian Ocean." The goal is to integrate the knowledge naturalists on several symbolic backward, but characteristics of the originality of the archipelago and illustrates the problems of conservation, to propose conservation policies relevant and appropriate to the socio-economic of the archipelago. It will demonstrate the originality of the Comoros and problems of their own in the regional context of the Indian Ocean. Indeed Madagascar has long been a powerful magnet for naturalists, and the majority of research on biodiversity in the region, followed by the Mascarene. Yet the Comoros archipelago is characterized by a rich and unique biodiversity, with rates of endemism may exceed 70% in some groups. Similarly forest ecosystems are degraded and declining at a rate high, raising fears their disappearance in the short term. To meet these degradations, a network of protected areas has been created (Mayotte) or planned (three islands). Neither the impact of damage on species heritage of the Comoros, nor the relevance of the network of protected areas have been assessed on other groups that higher vertebrates, which constitute a small part of biodiversity. Based on groups known (flowering plants, land mollusks, arachnids, insects and bugs Orthoptera) but representative of the richness and originality of the archipelago, this project aims to address three issues critical to developing an effective conservation policy in the archipelago: What is it really the biodiversity of the Comoros? What is the relevance of existing protected areas or planned? Where should I focus conservation actions and what are the priorities for conservation of species for maximum efficiency in a context of limited human and financial resources? The assessment of the distribution and conservation status of species will be based on data collected during field missions led by investigators of the project and the Comorian students and technicians trained on this occasion. But the proposed work beyond the simple inventory of the current situation of biodiversity of the Comoros, as also a diachronic, taking into account the data already available in the collections of museums, giving a fall of more than one century to judge the evolution of fauna and flora. It also introduced several innovative aspects, both on collecting data on further processing techniques Bioacoustique for inventories of insects, use of Recognizable Taxonomic Units for handling wealth communities (saving time by compared with traditional taxonomic studies), analysis of results by modeling ecological niches, to judge the relevance of the network of protected areas. The knowledge developed allow the heritage and conservation approaches and guide the strategy and conservation plans, especially for plants. The project also takes into account the socio-cultural conservation in the Comoros, as it provides awareness of environmental managers, but also to create a sociological approach to the issue of biodiversity conservation. The transfer of knowledge is an important aspect of the project, as managers, teachers and students Comoros will be integrated to work both on the ground in the laboratory (two trips planned a doctoral Comoros at the Museum of Paris). In addition to scientific publications, the results will be visible on the site of the Clearing House on Biodiversity of the Comoros and GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information System), and some of the samples collected will be deposited in local institutions. The GIS developed during this project will be delivered to a Comorian. The project is led by people accustomed to organizing large multidisciplinary missions and their return, in terms of communication and conservation. It is the responsibility of Professor Jean-Noel Labat (National Museum of Natural History Department Systematics and Evolution) and Dr. Benot Fontaine (National Museum of Natural History - Department of Ecology and Biodiversity Management). Partner agencies are: National Center for Scientific Research - Paris National Center for Documentation and Scientific Research (CNDRS) - Moroni Conservatoire National Botanical Mascarin - Meeting National Museum of Natural History - Paris Department Systematics and Evolution - UMR 5202 Department of Ecology and Biodiversity Management - UMR 5173 University of the Comoros - Moroni University Cheikh Anta Diop - Dakar According to Mr Yahaya Ibrahim, head of research on biodiversity in CNDRS, a mission of the team of researchers is expected to Comoros from 18 November.