The program

The origins

The South West Indian Ocean Islands are endowed with exceptional terrestrial and marine biodiversity. It is one of the 35 biodiversity hotspots in the world. For a large part endemic, its biodiversity represents also a strong identity for the region and provides many ecosystem services for its inhabitants (food, energy, fresh water, medicinal resources, climate regulation, etc.).

However, this biodiversity is threatened by various pressures which affects the proper functioning, and thus the survival, of its ecosystems and the services they provide to local populations. The main causes of biodiversity erosion are: changes in land and sea use, overexploitation of certain resources, climate change, environmental pollution and the spread of invasive alien species.

The Varuna program aims to contribute to halting biodiversity loss of this hotspot, for the benefit of the inhabitants of the region, through awareness raising, capacity building and the pooling of efforts of all public, private and civil society actors.

Financed by the French Development Agency (AFD) for a total amount of 10 million euros, the Varuna program is implemented by Expertise France and its partners since January 2022.

The project team

The Varuna team is based in Madagascar and is composed of :

• Julie DELAIRE, Project Manager. Julie joined the team in July 2024, bringing over a decade of experience in the development sector. She has spent more than two and a half years working across the Indian Ocean on programs dedicated to advancing and supporting biodiversity conservation initiatives. Her expertise lies in fostering sustainable projects that create lasting impact for both communities and ecosystems.
• Mirana Vololoniaina RANDRIAMAMPIONONA, Project Assistant and communication activities, has a background in Administration and Accounting and has previously worked in the private sector, at Step Up Digital and GIE Sahanala in Madagascar.
• Zo Narinjaka RANJATOVELO, Administrative and Financial Manager.
• Andry Patrick RANDRIANETSY, Monitoring, Evaluation and Capitalization Manager, studied development economics and has over 10 years of experience in monitoring and evaluation. He has previously worked for the MIHARI network in Madagascar and other rural development NGOs such as CARE International and APDRA Pisciculture Paysanne.
• Andriamasijaona MANDIMBIHAJA, Manager for the call for projects, is an agricultural engineer from the Ecole Supérieure des Sciences Agronomiques of the University of Antananarivo. He was previously in charge of grant management at CECAM, Conservation International, PSI and CARE.

At Expertise France headquarters in Paris, the Varuna program is monitored by :

• Justine de BOISFLEURY, Project Manager. After studies in geography and international relations, she previously worked for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and for the French Global Environment Facility (FFEM).

The Technical Committee

The technical committee of the Varuna program meets twice a year. It brings together all the program operators in preparation for the steering committees. It is composed of the Expertise France Varuna team and representatives of the 7 partner projects that make up the program:

• Réserves Naturelles de France (RNF)
• University of Mascarene
• University of Mauritius (UoM)
• CAP Business Océan Indien (CAPBOI)
• Institute for Research and Development (IRD) and the National Museum of Natural History (MNHN)
• Les Naturalistes de Mayotte (LNM)
• Centre International de Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD)

The steering committee

The Varuna program steering committee meets twice a year.

It includes the 7 program operators (see Technical Committee), as well as:

• the Agence française de développement (AFD)
• the Commission de l’Océan Indien (COI)
• the Office français de la biodiversité (OFB)
• the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF)
• the Terres australes et antarctiques françaises (TAAF)

Expertise France is in charge of the secretariat and the animation of the steering committees.

The brochure

Download the brochure