JOINT PRESS RELEASE
Antananarivo, 22 May 2024 – Madagascar Protected Area and Biodiversity Fund (FAPBM) and La Teinturerie – Association d’artistes have officially launched the third edition of “Art and Biodiversity” call for projects on the occasion of the International Biodiversity Day (IBD). Since 2022, “Art and Biodiversity” project has offered annual financial support and technical assistance to three (3) cultural initiatives that contribute to the protection and conservation of biodiversity in Madagascar.
“Be part of the plan”, everyone has a role to play
As in previous editions, the call for projects is based on the theme of the 2024 IBD: “Be part of the plan1 ”, a call to action to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. Thanks to a partnership with the Association le Loko, based in Diégo, the project takes on an even dimension broader. The competition encourages artists to explore the links between biodiversity and human life, focusing on essential resources such as water, energy and food. In Madagascar, the biodiversity economy contributes USD 500 million per year, benefiting key sectors such as energy, tourism and agriculture.
Madagascar Protected Areas System (SAPM), which currently comprises 123 protected areas, is the basis of the island’s biodiversity conservation strategy. Although significant efforts have been made by experts and communities in the protected areas, much remains to be done to expand them. With this in mind, Rindra Miarivololona, communications officer for FAPBM, is calling on artists and associations to get involved: “Let’s be part of the plan and illustrate, through artistic works, innovative strategies to restore and preserve the loss of biodiversity in Madagascar. Let’s be part of the plan and share solutions to support communities and experts working in protected areas. Let’s be part of the plan and use Art and Biodiversity as a platform for our messages to decision-makers so that they allocate more resources to protected areas.”
Three prizes of 2 million Ariary each
The three winning projects in this year’s competition will each receive a grant of 2 million Ariary. A jury of art and environment professionals will select the winners based on several criteria, including relevance to the theme, feasibility of the project, its potential to raise awareness, the number of people reached, artistic originality and the existence of co-financing. All artistic disciplines are invited to apply: Visual arts, performance arts, photography, drawing, digital arts, film/video arts, etc.
‘Madagascar’s young people represent almost a third of the population and they too have a role to play in promoting more responsible behavior and changing laws. Art is a powerful tool for raising public awareness, particularly among young people, of the importance of biodiversity and protected areas. Artists have the power to convey strong, powerful messages, encouraging people to take action and mobilize to protect our environment”, explains Anjara RALAIARIJAONA, President of La Teinturerie.
The rules and the link to complete the application form are available on FAPBM’website (www.fapbm.org/appel-doffres/ ) and/or can be requested by email from the organisers. Applications must be completed by midnight on 07 July 2024. The selected projects will be announced at the end of July and presented to the public from September 2024.
#ArtForProtectedAreas
About FAPBM
Created in 2005, FAPBM is a private Malagasy trust fund dedicated to the conservation of Madagascar’s biodiversity. Its mission is (i) to contribute to the sustainable financing of the Madagascar Protected Areas System (SAPM), (ii) to contribute to biodiversity conservation, to the maintenance of ecosystem services, to the well-being of the population, to the fight against climate change and (iii) 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 recognized for its expertise in protected area funding, transparency, good governance of funds, and the relevance and sustainability of its interventions. 70 of Madagascar’s 123 protected areas benefit from FAPBM funding.
Contact : Rindra MIARIVOLOLONA – rmiarivololona@fapbm.org – 038 53 631 96 – www.fapbm.org
About La Teinturerie
La Teinturerie, an artists’ association, was founded in 2014 with the mission of promoting visual art and all other art forms, improving access to art and culture for as many people as possible, hosting foreign artists in creative residencies, giving artists the opportunity to exchange, train, create and emancipate themselves.
Contact : Anjara Ralaiarijaona – lateinturerie.association@gmail.com – +261 34 15 937 05
1 The Kuning-Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in 2022 (COP 15-CBD), calls for urgent action to be taken by 2030 to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity, and to promote nature’s recovery for the benefit of people and the planet, through the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilisation of genetic resources, while ensuring that the necessary means are made available for its implementation.
