Stronger geospatial and environmental data management systems, empowers Pacific Island countries to address the triple planetary crisis of biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution. These strengthened systems improve monitoring, identify risks, and support evidence-based planning for the three interconnected threats that already place enormous pressure on Pacific ecosystems, livelihoods, food security and community resilience.
Against this backdrop, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) launched a five-day regional training on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and environmental data management in Nadi, Fiji.
The training, from 29 June – 3 July, brought together 21 government environmental officers, GIS practitioners and spatial planners from across the Pacific Islands region.
“You are all here today in our joint endeavours to confront the urgent environmental issues that impact our region and the global community,” said Mr Sefanaia Nawadra, Director General of SPREP.
“GIS and the Pacific Environment Portal are some of the tools that help to management environmental data to inform, safeguard, engage, educate, raise awareness, change behaviours, and influence policies, planning and decision making at all levels while helping to bridge the gap between science, technical assessment and policy action.”
The training guided the participants through a carefully sequenced curriculum that builds from foundational knowledge to practical application, peer -to-peer collaboration, and the development of tangible outputs that participants can utilise to strengthen environmental governance in their respective countries.
