12 July 2023
Opening of the Varuna Franco-Malagasy exhibition on “Biodiversities” at the French Institute of Madagascar (IFM) from July 11 to 27, 2023
“Les biodiversités (« The Biodiversities »)”, the new exhibition designed by the National Muséum of natural History (MNHN), the Institute of Research for Development (IRD), the University of Antananarivo and the National Research Center onr lEnvironment (CNRE), invites us to take part in the Varuna_Sustainability Science project, as part of the Varuna Biodiversité program.
Composition of the exhibition
Consisting of 23 Malagasy and 23 French panels, each representing an ecosystem and expressing a strong idea about biodiversity, this exhibition for the general public will circulate for 2 years in 10 major cities and rural areas of Madagascar, thanks to the support of the Malagasy association Green N Kool and in partnership with the Alliance Française network.
Half of the exhibition focuses on Madagascar’s ecosystems and the links between the Malagasy people and Nature.
An educational booklet will also be distributed (currently being drafted), to help visitors retain the knowledge they have acquired during their visit to the exhibition.
A first in Madagascar
For the first time in Madagascar, an educational exhibition presents biodiversity in all its facets: its origin, its definition, its splendor, the relationship between the Malagasy people and their biodiversity, the threats and actions to preserve it, etc.
A genuine environmental education tool for young and old alike, this will be the first travelling exhibition on the subject in Madagascar, to reach as many people as possible.
Official launch of the exhibition
The opening of the exhibition took place on July 10, 2023 at the IFM, in the presence of the Special Advisor to the President of the Republic, the Minister of the Environment and Sustainable Development and his Excellency the French Ambassador, as well as the entire team from the Varuna program (Expertise France), the MNHN, the University of Antananarivo, the National Research Center on Environment (CNRE), the Varuna_Sustainability Science project (IRD) and its partners in Madagascar.
In front of a packed room, the French Ambassador to Madagascar and Madagascar’s Minister of the Environment and Sustainable Development reiterated the importance of preserving biodiversity in Madagascar and elsewhere, as a basis for life in our societies today and for future generations. They then toured the entire exhibition with the Special Advisor to the President of Madagascar, accompanied by explanations from the Varuna team.
The exhibition was open to the general public from July 11 to 27, 2023, and will be on tour from September 2023.
For more information on the project led by IRD and MNHN within the Varuna program: click here
