Antananarivo, June 2, 2023 – Bruno Rajaspera, acting Country Director of Conservation International Madagascar, has been elected as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of FAPBM. He succeeds Nanie Ratsifandrihamanana for a two-year term. This new presidency went along with the renewal of the Executive Committee and the integration of new members into the Board, which is made of a plethora of multisectoral experts:
- Hanta Zo RAKOTOVAO, Vice-Chairman, Head of Legal and Regulatory Department at Orange Madagascar,
- Freddy RAJAONERA ANDRIAMBELO, Treasurer, Deputy General Manager of Chocolaterie Robert,
- Alexis BEFENO, Member, Team Leader in the Industry Division of PROPARCO, a subsidiary of AFD dedicated to the private sector.
- Hary Tiana RAHAINGOALISON, Member, Agronomist, specialist in coordination and monitoring of international projects in Madagascar,
- James RANAIVOSON, Member, Former Director’s Advisor at the European Investment Bank,
- Jean Hervé BAKARIZAFY, Member, Director of Protected Areas, Renewable Natural Resources, and Ecosystems at the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development;
- Uwe KLUG, Member, Senior Portfolio Manager at KfW,
- Voahirana RANDRIAMBOLA, Member, Policy & Technical Support Unit Coordinator at WWF Madagascar.
Outgoing President, Nanie Ratsifandrihamanana, who is also the Country Director of WWF – Madagascar, is delighted with this change and believes it will bring a breath of fresh air. Under her presidency, FAPBM significantly increased its capital and the number of supported protected areas, from 36 to 64. In her closing speech, she expressed confidence in the abilities of this team of experts to achieve the ambitious objectives of the strategic plan, aiming to reach 72 sustainably financed protected areas by 2026.
For nearly 20 years, FAPBM has provided a reliable mechanism for the sustainable financing of operating costs for protected areas in the country. For example, KfW contributed EUR 45 million to the capital of FAPBM in 2021. The revenues from this capital endowment has financed an additional 16 protected areas in 2023. Thanks to the financial contributions of FAPBM, threats have been reduced and the quality of several ecosystems and habitats has been restored. In 2022, for instance, 99.33% of forests in supported protected areas were preserved. Furthermore, thanks to FAPBM funding, vital ecosystem services to the local and regional economy have been secured in the lowlands and watersheds surrounding protected areas. Over 4.2 million people benefit from goods and services provided by protected areas supported by FAPBM. More than 35,000 people are involved in activities supported by FAPBM. Lastly, FAPBM’s funding helps maintain functional local management units. For 2022, the Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (METT) indicator in protected areas supported by FAPBM exceeds 70%. This is a reasonably high score.
According to the roadmap defined by the strategic plan, the new President, Bruno Rajaspera, will focus on strengthening political and financial support for Madagascar’s protected areas. The Board of Trustees will closely collaborate with the Executive Management, led by Alain Liva Raharijaona. Together, they will consolidate partnerships with historical donors and mobilize new sources of local and international funding while ensuring that entrusted funds achieve their objectives. They will also advocate for a favorable legal framework for supporting protected areas among policymakers. “Now is the time to invest in FAPBM so that the organization can progress in supporting the needs of all Madagascar’s 125 protected areas,” concludes Bruno Rajaspera.
About FAPBM:
Established in 2005, FAPBM is a private Malagasy trust fund dedicated to the conservation of Madagascar’s biodiversity. Its mission is to support biodiversity conservation through the promotion and financing of the expansion, creation, protection, and improvement of Madagascar’s Protected Area System (SAPM). Each investment in the foundation’s capital generates perpetual annual income, primarily dedicated to conservation, administrative management and community development activities in protected areas.
FAPBM is internationally recognized for its expertise in financing protected areas, transparency, good governance of funds, the relevance of its interventions and lasting impacts. Conservation International, WWF, the World Bank, the French Government through AFD, the French Fund for the Environment, and the German Government through KfW trust FAPBM by making contributions to its capital.
To support FAPBM : www.fapbm.org
Press contact: Roda OPERMAN – roperman@fapbm.org – +261 34 02 265 01 Follow us on social media: Facebook – Twitter – Instagram – Youtube – LinkedIn
Annex 1 : New members of the Board of Directors at the handover ceremony on June 2, 2023
From left to right:
Eric RAKOTO-ANDRIATSILAVO (outgoing member), National Secretary of the Integrated Growth Poles (PIC) Project at the World Bank
Alexis Befeno, Team Leader in the Industry Division of PROPARCO, a subsidiary of the AFD Group dedicated to the private sector.
Freddy RAJAONERA ANDRIAMBELO, Deputy General Manager of Chocolaterie Robert
Nanie RATSIFANDRIHAMANANA (outgoing member), Country Director of WWF – Madagascar
Hanta Zo RAKOTOVAO, Head of the Legal and Regulatory Department at Orange Madagascar
Bruno Tsing Yat RAJASIPERA, Acting Country Director of Conservation International Madagascar and Director of Community Resource Support at Conservation International – Madagascar
Hary Tiana RAHAINGOALISON (incoming member), Agronomist, specialist in coordination and monitoring of international projects in Madagascar
Jean Hervé BAKARIZAFY (incoming member), Director of Protected Areas, Renewable Natural Resources, and Ecosystems at the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development;
Ms. Voahirana RANDRIAMBOLA (incoming member), Policy & Technical Support Unit Coordinator at WWF – Madagascar
James RANAIVOSON (absent in the photo), Former Advisor to the European Investment Bank
Mr. Uwe KLUG (incoming member, absent in the photo), Senior Portfolio Manager at KfW
Annex 2: Biography of Bruno Tsing Yat RAJASIPERA, Chairman of the Board of Directors
Bruno Tsing Yat RAJASIPERA
 | Currently serving as the acting Country Director of Conservation International Madagascar and Director of Community Resource Support at Conservation International – Madagascar, Bruno Tsing Yat RAJASIPERA provides strategic and cross-cutting support to the Conservation International Madagascar program in developing the landscape management approach and leading the biodiversity compensation project funded by the mining company Ambatovy. He has a long track record as a coordinator of large-scale environmental projects for USAID and DELL Corporation. |
| He has developed expertise in community development for conservation and has written several publications on the subject, including the most recent one: “Developing a Resilient Co-Management Agreement for Protected Areas: Field Experience from the Ankeniheny-Zahamena Corridor in Madagascar” for Madagascar, Human Dimensions of Wildlife. Bruno Tsing Yat RAJASIPERA holds an engineering degree in agronomy from the Higher School of Agronomic Sciences at the University of Antananarivo. | |
