Times of the Islands Winter 2020/21

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green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources This Google Earth imagery (above) shows the area where Sentinel 2 satellite imagery (opposite page) was analysed to categorize vegetative habitats. Plotting for Progress Project increases mapping capacity with multiple uses. Story & Images By B Naqqi Manco, DECR Terrestrial Ecologist/Environmental Officer In March 2020, the TCI Department of Environment & Coastal Resources and partner organizations Environment Systems Ltd. (UK), Virgin Islands National Parks Trust (British Virgin Islands), and Joint Nature Conservation Committee (UK) completed the two-year project, “Mapping for Evidence-Based Policy, Recovery and Environmental Resilience.” The project was funded by the Darwin Plus grant programme under the UK Government’s Darwin Initiative, and its aim was to increase local capacity in the Turks & Caicos Islands and British Virgin Islands through techniques training and building familiarity with open source mapping software QGIS and similar programs. This developed skill set allows DECR to carry out manipulation of satellite imagery internally without requiring outside partners or contractors. Comparison of imagery over time with these skills allows for evidence-based decision-making for environmental management and climate change resilience. 36 www.timespub.tc
green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources In order to deliver the training, a series of workshops was focused on each participant developing their own practical projects over the project’s lifetime. The collaborative training workshops were held in Tortola, British Virgin Islands in December 2018 and Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands in March 2019. A master class for selected participants was also held at the Environment online, long-term monitoring projects for mangroves, forests, beaches and coastlines, charcoal burning, carbon storage, ecosystem loss and species range predictability are possible. A foundation for a simplified terrestrial habitat map was also established, which can be updated by DECR internally using QGIS software. The project also made Systems Ltd. headquarters in Aberystwyth, Wales in June 2019. Separate follow-up workshops were held in Tortola and Providenciales in February 2020. Within the TCI, staff members from both the Department of Survey and Mapping and Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies also participated in the training. Exposure to the wildly different terrains of the steeply-sloped, 500 meter high British Virgin Islands and the low, flat, rolling Turks & Caicos Islands allowed expert Environment Systems and JNCC trainers to show participants how the same techniques can be used regardless of terrain, but also how to finely-tune interpretation of imagery data in their respective territories. The training sessions mainly focused on teaching the use of open-source Geographic Information System (GIS) software QGIS. This free program, under constant improvement by users, allows the DECR to use high quality mapping software without having to pay and renew costly annual licensing fees. Using satellite imagery purchased by the project and open-source imagery available possible collection and interpretation of satellite imagery and field-collected data from shallow marine areas, which brilliantly complement the concurrent “Developing Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) Tools for Turks & Caicos” project between the South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute and DECR, also funded by Darwin Plus. The project also supplemented DECR’s capacity by supplying both hardware for data storage and manipulation and software in the form of years’ worth of satellite imagery from several sources. Development of skills for mapping Turks & Caicos Islands terrestrial and marine areas and interpretation of satellite imagery allows DECR and partner organizations to make solid, evidence-based environmental decisions, especially relating to recovery and resilience from hurricanes and other severe weather events related to climate change. DECR Director Lormeka Williams investigated the use of GIS and satellite imagery in mapping locations of illegal charcoal production in Providenciales. DECR Terrestrial Ecologist B Naqqi Manco generated habitat Times of the Islands Winter 2020-21 37
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Times of the Islands Winter 2020/21

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