UG teams up with NASA to build capacity

Mar 11, 2021 News

…will enable use of US Satellites to monitor local eco-systems, deforestation rates

Kaieteur News – The University of Guyana has teamed up with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and SERVIR-Amazonia as part of a collaborative effort aimed at preparing Guyanese students for the monitoring of Guyana’s ecosystems, which will be enhanced via academic research.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was inked on Tuesday between the partners with the collaboration expected to conclude on December 20, 2023.
According to a statement from the University, following the signing of the MoU, the tertiary institution underscored that the partners will prepare the nation’s Geospatial Scientists, and that the partnership will result also in the monitoring and evaluation of mangroves in Guyana using the latest geospatial technologies and satellite imagery to map the extent and structure of mangrove forests along the coastland.
It was noted too, that the collaboration with both the Government of Guyana (GoG) and Civil Society actors to better analyze mangrove-related land-use changes and act on hotspots of deforestation—to stop them on time.
The University said that the data retrieved will allow for better land-use planning, policy-making and actions that protect mangroves from being converted to other land uses, as well as to plan mangrove protection efforts for farmers in low-lying coastal regions.
“UG will participate in the co-development of the mangrove monitoring platform, and support the validation of data products with field data. It will also engage in workshops and training events led by SERVIR-Amazonia and its partners, and participate in activities related to the methodological development to monitor mangrove forests along Guyana’s Coast,” the statement said.
It was noted that the signing of the MoU is the culmination of a series of workshops over the last 18 months led by NASA scientists and those from UG’s Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences (FEES) and Centre for Study for Biological Diversity (CSBD) which included over 15 GoG entities.
According to the University, the project was spearheaded by Dr. Temitope Oyedotun, Dean of UG’s FEES.
According to Dr. Oyedotun, the initiative was conceptualized with a conversation in 2018 and he is pleased that it has blossomed into one that will benefit not only the University but also, the people of Guyana and the Caribbean.
The Agreement was signed by Professor Paloma Mohamed Martin, Vice-Chancellor XI, University of Guyana, and Jesús Quintana, Managing Director for the Americas of the Alliance of Bioversity International and International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), and attended by senior officials of UG and representatives of NASA and USAID.
Professor Mohamed in her remarks at the signing ceremony said, the University is aligned with Guyana’s goal as an environmentally responsible State and that the signing of the MoU with SERVIR-Amazonia and partners is part of a response to improve the use of geospatial data and information.
She noted too, that with the historic signing of the agreement, the research conducted will assist the University with the development of its Human Resiliency Systems programme, its new Geosciences programme, and Data Sciences programme—now in its developmental stage Similarly, Quintana hailed the MoU as an important milestone saying that, “the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT works on landscape and biodiversity conservation, as well as on digital inclusion. Based on our joint research we can collectively innovate and design better policies to confront the challenges the Amazon basin faces.”

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Latest News