09 June 2023
Science and Media Workshop on Biodiversity in Madagascar
Organised by the Varuna biodiversity program, as part of its Varuna_Sustainability Science project led by IRD, in partnership with the Centre for Economics and Ethics for the Environment and Development in Madagascar (C3EDM) and the Faculty of Economics, Management and Sociology of the University of Antananarivo, the “Sciences & Medias” workshop was held from June 06 to 08, 2023 in Ampefy, Madagascar.
The aim of the workshop was to bring together Malagasy journalists and scientists to strengthen ties between media players and scientists around the subject of information processing on the mainstreaming of biodiversity preservation in traditional and specialized media.
The Varuna_Sustainability Science project, led by IRD (UMR Sens) in Madagascar, aims to strengthen the dialogue between science and society (S&S) on the governance of biodiversity in the Indian Ocean and more specifically in Madagascar.
To achieve this, 4 activities are planned. The first two are aimed at the general public. A traveling exhibition designed by the MNHN will raise awareness among young people (mainly schoolchildren) of the challenges of sustainable biodiversity management. The second action proposes a series of short videos (called innovative digital resources) produced by scientists on the theme of biodiversity governance and broadcast free of charge on the Internet. The other two activities focus on S&S dialogue. The third activity strengthens the dialogue between scientists and stakeholders involved in environmental issues (associations, journalists, mediators, protected area managers, members of the administration, private sector) through a series of exchange and training workshops on biodiversity issues. The fourth activity aims to extend this dialogue between stakeholders by mobilizsng the e-POP device.
Workshop program :
This event of dialogue between journalists and researchers was organized with :
– Day 1: Presentation of IRD’s activities through the Varuna_Sustainability Science project, on the preservation of biodiversity in Madagascar and the role of the media in processing information on the issue of biodiversity erosion.
– Day 2: A phase of deconstructing information around biodiversity and sustainability science
– Day 3: World café format for exchanges on the themes of general biodiversity concepts, threats, preservation and socio-economic aspects.
Participants:
The workshop brought together 44 participants: Journalists (television, radio, print media), scientists from the University of Antananarivo (Antananarivo Institute and Observatory of Geophysics) (IOGA), C3EDM, Centre for Scientific and Technical Information and Documentation (CIDST), Centre for Communication Research (CERCOM), National Centre for Environmental Research (CNRE), Université de La Réunion, UMR SENS/IRD as well as the organising team.
Expected outcome:
At the end of the workshop, a journalist-researcher network was formalised. The first results of the various projects (ePOP, biodiversity exhibition, film on the wild silk industry and conservation of the Tapia forests) were also presented at the event.
For more information on the IRD project within de Varuna program: click here
