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Mapping of country’s forests boosted with GIS training
– land use agencies to collaborate on technology use
Guyana’s capacity to monitor its vast hinterland resources have been given a major boost with the completion of a critical 12-month course in training to handle the Geographic Information System (GIS)/Remote Sensing technology.
A total of 30 persons participated with 17 from the forestry sector.
As a result of the training, the GFC (Guyana Forestry Commission) has seen a vast improvement in the quality of maps and information that were produced by the GIS Unit,” Deputy Commissioner, Jagdesh Singh said during the closing ceremony yesterday at the Kingston headquarters.
Staffers of the Guyana Forestry Commission who were part of the 12-month training in the GIS/Remote Sensing technology. Seated second from left is US Ambassador, D. Brendt Hart
“Updated and reliable GPS information was being collected by field staff, enabling the GIS Unit to produce updated maps for use during field exercises and, participants of the training are now knowledgeable about the principles and application of GIS and RS in Sustainable Forest Management.”
The project was a joint collaboration between GFC, USAID Guyana and the US Forestry Service Programme. At the technical level, it will support the work the GFC has been doing in promoting the sustainable management of the country’s State Forest Estate and the implementation of the activities under the Redd + Governance Development Plan, as part of the US$250M agreement between Guyana and Norway.
At the end of the project, 17 staffers from the Forest Resources Management Division (FRMD) and the Forest Monitoring Division (FMD) were trained in the principles and application of GIS and RS.
GFC is working to prepare manuals that will be used to train new staffers.
“The capacity and knowledge that was built, has assisted the GFC in developing new systems to support its work in ensuring forest legality. For example, GPS coordinates from stump inspections are plotted on updated GIS maps and are being provided to GFC to assist in identifying the location of trees harvested and to determine if it has been harvested within the legally allocated forest concession boundaries.”
Singh also disclosed that GFC has been providing technical support to the other land use agencies, like the Guyana Lands and Survey Commission and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission. The idea is to develop and manage GIS data to assist in the integration of GIS data generated by the land use agencies.
“The GFC sees this not as the final stage in the capacity building project with USAID, but as part of a continuous process of building local capacity in key areas of Redd+, SFM and general forestry matters.”
Also at the graduation were US Ambassador to Guyana, D. Brendt Hart, and Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Persaud.
According to the Minister, the training is critical and plans are now underway to bring more awareness to the use of the lesser known species of wood. The use of the GIS/Remote Sensing technology is important to the development of the country’s monitoring and verification systems. Systems will help reduce illegal logging in keeping with US and EU demands.
He also noted that with a shortage of such expertise, government is moving to work with the University of Guyana and even a planned mining school with will target similar programmes.
He also said that the use of GIS will be shared between the other sister agencies.
There are cases where maps produced by the various agencies are not fully correct and the sensing technology of the GIS is intended to correct this.
According to the US Ambassador, the training is but one of the effective partnerships between Guyana and the US which has “taken root” and will “bear fruit”.
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