More than 30 professionals from Papua New Guinea have graduated from a week-long course that covered the geospatial analysis of seagrass and mangrove ecosystems.
The workshop aimed to build capacity and skills related to this analysis, as well as carbon stock assessment, using open-source GIS and tools.
It was led by the Pacific Community’s (SPC) Earth and Oceans Observations team in collaboration with the Climate Change Development Authority (CCDA) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ Pacific)
Acting General Manager for the Measurements, Reporting, and Verification Division of CCDA, William Lakain, said that these sorts of partnerships are key to ensuring lasting impacts on preserving natural resources.
“This training equips Papua New Guinea with the critical tools and knowledge needed to meet the goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework,” he said.
“By empowering our local experts in geospatial analysis and ecosystem management, we are ensuring that all areas, especially those of high biodiversity importance, are included in participatory, integrated spatial planning processes.”
“The knowledge gained here will directly contribute to the sustainable management of our seagrass and mangrove ecosystems which is crucial for both climate resilience and biodiversity,” Lakain added.
SPC’s Earth and Oceans Observations Team Leader, Sachindra Singh, said the integration of regional public good services such as Digital Earth Pacific and open-source geospatial software opens new avenues for data-driven decision-making.
“With these capabilities, participants are now equipped to address the challenges faced by seagrass and mangrove ecosystems, ensuring better analysis at a national level in order to make evidence-driven decisions around food security and climate resilience for coastal populations in Pacific Island Countries, such as PNG, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Fiji,” Singh said.
The training was made possible through the Management and Conservation of Blue Carbon Ecosystems (MACBLUE) project funded by the German Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) through its International Climate Initiative (IKI).
The MACBLUE project is jointly implemented by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, the Pacific Community and GIZ Pacific in close cooperation with their four partner governments Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands.
