The Diana region is launching the Irema project, an ecosystem restoration initiative deployed across five regions of Madagascar with environmental governance as a key pillar. The Irema project has been well received in the Diana region, with political and administrative figures present at the launch.
Currently, the Diana region is engaged in ecosystem restoration and mobilizing green investments. It officially welcomed the launch of the Irema project, an initiative designed to strengthen investments in ecosystem restoration across Madagascar. Deployed in five regions of the country, the project focuses notably on improved environmental governance, scientific research, carbon market development, and private sector mobilization.
The official ceremony took place in the main hall of the Lucien Botovasoa Centre last weekend. This initiative aims to provide concrete responses to challenges related to ecosystem degradation and the need to increase investments in their restoration.
The project is built around several strategic axes. It notably aims to establish and operationalize national environmental governance mechanisms, while strengthening scientific research to provide reliable data supporting public decision-making.
The project also intends to contribute to achieving the second objective of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, dedicated notably to restoring degraded ecosystems. The development and structuring of the carbon market are also among priorities, as is strengthening partnerships with the private sector.
Through these partnerships, it aims notably to promote the creation of industrial forests and the development of environmentally friendly alternative solutions. The objective is to make ecosystem restoration not only an ecological imperative but also an opportunity for economic development and income generation for local communities.
In the Diana region, the project's interventions will focus notably on the Irodo-Antsiranana-II watershed. Two actors will ensure implementation on the ground. These are Madagascar National Parks (MNP), which will handle activities within Amber Mountain National Park, while the organization "Hay Tany" will intervene in areas outside the protected area. In total, seven communes are involved in interventions related to the first, while five communes fall within the intervention perimeter of the second.
This configuration explains the presence, at the launch ceremony organized at the Botovasoa Centre, of several representatives from grassroots communities (VOI) from the concerned communes. Their involvement is a determining element in the success of restoration actions, the preservation of natural resources, and the sustainability of project results.
The launch ceremony also brought together several personalities and representatives of concerned institutions. The deputy for Antsiranana-II, Dr Raymond, the mayors of beneficiary communes, civil and military authorities, and members of the IREMA team notably honored this official milestone with their presence. The Diana region was represented by its Secretary General, Daudet Karany Andriamahatoly, testifying to the importance the regional institution places on initiatives aimed at reconciling ecosystem restoration, local economic development, and community resilience.