Antananarivo, August 24, 2023 – The Association of Journalists for the Environment (AJE), Madagascar Protected Areas and Biodiversity Fund (FAPBM) and VARUNA project officially launched a call for reporting projects on 27 July, recognising the crucial role of the media and journalists in raising public awareness and advocacy for biodiversity conservation. The initiative aims to encourage and support biodiversity-minded journalists to produce original stories about local communities and experts involved in biodiversity conservation, and to highlight remote protected areas.
Spotlight on the men and women behind conservation
Madagascar’s biodiversity and the threats it faces are well known, but far less well known are those who are working to conserve it for the benefit of local communities, the region and even the country. However, many communities and professionals are achieving positive and encouraging results in biodiversity conservation. Among these communities, many have experienced a significant change in behaviour. Repentant charcoal burners and former deforesters are now defending these vital resources, sometimes at the risk of their lives. On the experts’ side, young nature enthusiasts with university degrees confront the realities of the field alongside experienced experts.
The programme is looking for reporting projects that explore the circumstances that influence community behaviour, the strength and sustainability of behavioural changes, and ways to scale them up. At the same time, the programme aims to highlight the community of local experts working in the field and the challenges they face.
The biodiversity reporting grant aims to (i) increase the visibility of protected areas in the malagasy and international media; (ii) shed light on critical remote sites by enabling local journalists to access them; (iii) support advocacy efforts with decision-makers on the importance of biodiversity for communities.
Support for Media Committed to Biodiversity
AJE, FAPBM, and Varuna are calling on professional journalists to submit an original reporting idea on a specific protected area by September 17, 2023. Details on how to submit projects are available on the website www.fapbm.org/appel-doffres/. Report selection will be based on the following criteria Originality of the topic and relevance to the objectives, writing style and journalistic technique, language level (French or Malagasy), clarity of the text, conciseness, quality of the pitch (hook, conciseness).
Following the jury’s evaluation, six (06) reporting projects will be selected, two (02) per category: print and online press, radio press and audiovisual press. Each will receive a grant of 3,000,000 MGA.
About the Association of Journalists for the Environment – AJE
AJE was founded in 2014 with the aim of promoting environmental education for all citizens. In order to achieve this, AJE’s activities include, but are not limited to, reporting and disseminating productions through the media, supporting various organisations and institutions, organising formal activities (meetings, trainings, seminars) and/or informal activities (artistic activities, etc.) related to environmental education, creating and disseminating IEC (information, education, communication) materials.)
Since 2009, the association is also a member of the Alliance Voahary Gasy Civil Society Platform, which consists of 30 associations, and sits on the board of directors.
About the Madagascar Protected Areas and Biodiversity Fund – FAPBM
Created in 2005, FAPBM is a private Malagasy trust fund dedicated to the conservation of Madagascar’s biodiversity. Its mission is to contribute to the sustainable financing of the Madagascar Protected Areas System (SAPM), to contribute to the biodiversity conservation, to the maintenance of ecosystem services, to the well-being of the population, to the fight against climate change and to promote good management within SAPM. Each investment in FAPBM’s capital generates perpetual annual income, dedicated primarily to the operations and conservation and community development activities in protected areas. FAPBM is internationally recognised for its expertise in protected area funding, transparency, good governance of funds, and the relevance and sustainability of its interventions.
About the Varuna Biodiversity
Varuna program, implemented by Expertise France and funded by AFD – Agence Française de Développement, aims to curb biodiversity erosion in the South-Western Indian Ocean, a global hotspot subject to numerous pressures.
Varuna program is based on three intervention axes: (i) Structuring regional actor networks to encourage coordinated efforts for biodiversity conservation, (ii) Supporting the integration of ecological transition issues among economic actors, (iii) Encouraging the contribution of research to the Science-Society dialogue on biodiversity. Each axis includes two to three projects led by one or more partners active in the region. They all share a common goal: to work together for the preservation of biodiversity for the benefit of the region’s inhabitants. www.varuna-biodiversite.org
