The Varuna program: fight against the erosion of biodiversity
The islands of the southwest Indian Ocean are endowed with exceptional terrestrial and marine biodiversity. It is one of 35 biodiversity hotspots worldwide.
For many endemic, it also constitutes a strong identity for the region and is a provider of numerous ecosystem services for its inhabitants (food, energy, fresh water, medicinal resources, climate regulation, etc.). This biodiversity is, however, threatened by various pressures weighing on 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 uses, overexploitation of certain resources, climate change, environmental pollution and the spread of invasive exotic species.
The Varuna program therefore aims to contribute to combating the erosion of the biodiversity of this hotspot, for the benefit of the region’s inhabitants, through awareness-raising, capacity building and the pooling of efforts of all public actors, private and society
More on : https://varuna-biodiversite.org/le-programme/#les-origines
