Toamasina, Madagascar — The Malagasy Ministry of Fisheries and Blue Economy, and the Office of the Mayor of Toamasina will join the Stimson Center and the Western Indian Ocean Research Association to conduct a CORVI assessment of Toamasina, Madagascar and the surrounding areas. The project will begin with a series of seminars and meetings with stakeholders from local businesses, academia, government and civil society. These meetings will provide citizens, policymakers, and businesses with the data needed to create a comprehensive coastal city risk profile in an effort to reduce climate vulnerabilities, build climate resilience, and improve the sustainability of the blue economy in Toamasina.
CORVI is a data-driven decision support tool for local leaders who need to make smart climate investments to improve the safety and security of coastal cities. The tool uses nearly 100 ecological, financial, and social risk indicators to produce a holistic coastal city risk profile with evidence-based local-level data and concrete recommendations for action. In Toamasina, a local team, led by Mr. Leon Marcellin, will work with local experts to get insight into the city’s vulnerability to climate change, providing valuable context to the collection of specific risk indicators.
Learn more about CORVI: www.stimson.org/project/corvi
Toamasina, Madagascar’s second-largest city with the country’s largest port, is heavily reliant on the blue economy and absorbs most of the country’s climate-related economic losses. This country has suffered frequent cyclones – six in 2022 alone – and other extreme weather events which undermine the country’s water supply, sanitary systems, health systems, food security, and infrastructure. In addition to declining water supply and an at-risk waste and sanitation system, the city is vulnerable to increased flooding impacting the infrastructure, electricity, and health of a rapidly growing population.
Director General from the Ministry of Fisheries and Blue Economy Rado Rakotosoa said, “We are happy to partner with the experts from the Stimson Center who have brought CORVI and their expertise to Toamasina as they undertake this important work. The work will be enormously helpful to our efforts to build a sustainable blue economy for our coastal communities and mitigate the extreme weather impact that affects the people of Toamasina, and the economic port hub of our country.”
The Mayor of the Urban Community of Toamsina (CUT) shared, “The CUT is pleased to collaborate with the CORVI project to complete an integrated assessment of climate and ocean risks. Several factors contribute to our community’s climate risk: Our connection with the sea, the fact that we are the second largest city on the island with created large industrial sites in Toamasina, and the expansion of our Port also has its impact on the rural exodus. The blue economy is an essential support for our population. Unfortunately, there is a lack of balance on the economic progress of large companies and the social life and urban infrastructure of the city of Toamasina. So, with the CORVI project, we hope to see several specific outcomes: establish a sustainable blue economy; upgrade the social and urban infrastructures of Toamasina through the Port and the established industries here in Toamasina; and secure financial resources to set up a system of resilience to climate risks.”
The Stimson Center’s Environmental Security Program Director Sally Yozell said, “We are grateful for this partnership, and for the opportunity to work in close coordination with officials in the Ministry of Fisheries and Blue Economy and Mayor Nanatenaina Rakotononirina of Toamasina to identify vulnerabilities and build greater resilience for Madagascar. This CORVI assessment will help to plan for the future of Toamasina and assist local officials in meeting the growing challenges of unchecked climate change.”
The CORVI risk assessment in Toamasina is supported by the U.S. Department of State, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, and the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance.
The Stimson Center’s Environmental Security program explores the array of environmental threats, both human and natural, that have the potential to undermine national, regional, or global security.
The Stimson Center promotes international security and shared prosperity through applied research and independent analysis, global engagement, and policy innovation.
For three decades, Stimson has been a leading voice on urgent global issues. Founded in the twilight years of the Cold War, the Stimson Center pioneered practical new steps toward stability and security in an uncertain world. Today, as changes in power and technology usher in a challenging new era, Stimson is at the forefront: Engaging new voices, generating innovative ideas and analysis, and building solutions to promote international security, prosperity, and justice.
More at www.stimson.org
###