Transforming how we work together to create ecosystem-based information to strengthen environmental management
Drone team training with the Piton Management Agency, St. Lucia
BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS
Collaboration not only helps to build partnerships, it allows us to develop a shared understanding of our environment. By first strengthening people’s technological skills, we can collaboratively create comprehensive environmental information that is understandable. This allows us to better identify environmental challenges facing our communities as well as enables the development of ‘locally-relevant’ solutions thereby increasing ownership and gaining support for management initiatives.
Participatory mapping with fishers, Gulf of Paria, Trinidad
COLLABORATIVELY CREATING INFORMATION
I am passionate about mapping our world, its’ resources and all the various ways we can use the environment. Wide participation enables us to better understand the importance of local environmental knowledge and the ability to identify interactions occurring within the ecosystem. This process of working together allows us to collaboratively learn how to accurately map and create useful environmental information. Likewise applying collaborative approaches can strengthen community understanding, ownership and participation in data-driven decision-making and management of our environment.
Mapping marine habitat & space-uses with fishers in Bequia, SVG
CULTIVATING ECOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL HEALTH
By involving stakeholders in the process of creating spatial information, we also gain insight on the intrinsic value of our environment. Together we can develop a shared understanding of our ecosystem and its’ challenges, so that we can work together to effectively plan a sustainable future. This process not only supports more informed and transparent decision-making, it also serves to strengthen communities and empower people to work together to play an active role in managing all of our resources.
Drone skills training with NGO KIPAJI in Carriacou, Grenada
“Kim is a highly motivated, inquisitive, and independent scientist. Her passion resides in the merging of participatory research and stakeholder collaboration to improve applied environmental management. Kim has worked on a number of participatory projects over the years to produce information in a format which is both understandable and accessible to all stakeholders; thereby facilitating ownership, capacity building, equity, and collaboration to improve ecosystem-based management and strengthen governance in the Caribbean.
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