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Friday, October 12, 2012

Participatory 3D Modelling (P3DM) activities in Tobago featured on National Television

FRIDAY, 12 OCTOBER 2012 - Tobago Channel 5 News - Climate change is a very serious issue in the Caribbean and we often hear about this from scientists who explain the situation in a technical sense. But what about those on the ground that want to know exactly how it can affect them.

In collaboration with the University of the West Indies and with technical and financial support provided by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA) and UNDP GEF-SGP, the Caribbean National Resources Institute, CANARI, embarked on a project to allow Tobagonians to share their knowledge to others who may have questions about climate change. With the help of a new 3D model of Tobago built by the participants of the project, Tobagonians can learn about the issue plus other concerns the country may face.

Over 100 Tobagonians recently constructed a scale model of Tobago which will be used to measure climate change on the island. The project was done in attempt to allow Tobagonians to share information with each other about climate change and the effects on various areas. Nichol Leoto, a member of CANARI, gave details of the two week project.

She added that the experience for those who were a part of the project was amazing and will be a positive for Tobago and Tobagonians. Ms. Leoto made it clear though that it is not ending there. She said that this is just the starting point of a bigger intiative which includes policy making for Tobago.

Ms. Leoto said that CANARI will be returning to Tobago in two weeks to work more with civil society groups, community groups and NGO’s.

Source: Tobago Channel 5 News

Knowledge holders add value to the 3D model of Tobago

Historical and cultural knowledge emerges along with awareness on environmental change

SCARBOROUGH, 06 October, 2012. Excitement is growing as the blank 3D model is populated with data. What is astonishing is that nobody uses satellite images or existing maps where to source information. All data comes from memory, and one added piece of information offers new cues to memory, hence everybody is discovering and learning by doing.

A team from Golden Lane add their data to the model

Day by day, more information is added to the once blank model. The second group of informants arrives to transpose their information. And still, members from the first group of informants are returning to the workshop because, according to them, they went off, did some research and have returned to “add more value to the model”.

The residents of Tobago, the actual custodians of local and traditional knowledge are eager to put their stamp on the model. As the updating of the map legend continues, some of them are resolute in their view that present as well as past names of map features, like points, areas and lines must be included.

The participatory 3D model exercise is being facilitated by the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) and the University of the West Indies (UWI) with financial and technical assistance from The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA) and the United Nations Development Programme, Global Environment Facility - Small Grants Programme (UNDP GEF-SGP).

Historical perspective

The excitement of the participants echoes around the Island and the P3DM initiative is attracting keen interest from Tobagonians from all walks of life. Laura Williams of Golden Lane returns to the workshop with Lyris Walker and Veslin Alleyne in tow; they have information for the model.

Gang Gang immortalised on the model!

Lyris says she is glad to be a part of the project because it is “for the people by the people”. Pointing to places she had forgotten about, she says the project is successful because it is “very educational”. She jogs her memory for details while consulting The changing society of Tobago, 1838-1900: Vol I and II a historical publication written by Susan E. Craig-James. This historical publication should inform the P3DM, says Lyris.

Lyris, Laura and Veslin are excited to see the point on the model which identifies Gang Gang Hill in Golden Lane. They tell of the legend that gave the hill its name: Gang Gang Sarah was a witch who flew from Africa to meet members of her family who were captured and brought to Tobago after being sold into slavery. In Tobago, Gang Gang Sarah met and married Long Tom. After her husband died, she attempted to fly back to Africa, but fell to her death from the top of the silk cotton tree which she had climbed to begin her journey. She could no longer take off because she had eaten salt and salt makes it impossible for witches to fly!

Tobago has a rich cultural history, but the legends are heard less frequently as the years go by. To preserve the island’s past, a Heritage festival is held annually to celebrate all aspects of the island’s history.

Climate change adaptation

Contributing to the participatory 3D model overwhelms Bryan Bain of Belle Garden. He understands the importance of the exercise because he has seen the effects of unsustainable harvesting practices and climate change in his community. He talks of crab catchers harvesting thousands of crabs weekly.

A fisherman from Castara is oriented to
the model by one of the trainees

He admits that he also harvested over two hundred crabs per week, in 2005. Back then, he says, crabs walked “by the hundreds in the wetlands”, while at present only four or five perch above their holes. As a result of the dwindling crab population, Bryan says he has stopped catching crabs and is now assisting in encouraging hunters to leave the young crabs to thrive. He adds that he joined the Belle Garden Wetlands Association and Environment Tobago to meet like-minded people to preserve the environment.

Bryan also points to deforestation as a major problem in his area. This, he observes, has lead to the shortage of wildlife in the forest, among other things. He feels that the P3D model will make members of the community more aware of the damage they are causing. Increased awareness, he notes, should bring about enough change in people's attitudes and trigger changes in the way they act. He plans to build a P3D model of his village to enhance tourism.

Similarly, Goldberg Job, informant from Belle Garden, says people have to be encouraged to adapt to climate change by changing their lifestyles. He says people must be told to tie the roofs to their houses to prevent these from being blown away during adverse weather conditions. Additionally, he notes that fishermen should build bigger boats and invest in technology in order to continue fishing further afar from the coastline. He wonders whether architects are part of the P3D model-making. He is told that he is the architect, as well as the other informants.

The work on the participatory 3D model of Tobago continues apace. Another group of informants is expected on Sunday. If the trend continues, the same group of informants that came on Saturday and Friday will return to further contribute data on the model.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Community Mapping of Cultural Heritage in the Solomon Islands

In the Solomon Islands, a place of rich cultural heritage, there are many threats to historical cultural sites including logging, climate change and sea-level rise. Solomon Island local community members joined a training workshop in 2011 run by Professor Richard Walter of The University of Otago (New Zealand), and learned the skills required to recognise, identify and map out and document their cultural heritage to preserve these special places for the future.

Participatory 3D model of Tobago seen as time capsule

SCARBOROUGH, 07 October 2012. On the morning of Sunday 7 October, the air in the room where the participatory 3D model is being built, is tense but hopeful. Trainees, facilitators and informants work at a steady pace, but there is animated discussion on the ICC Twenty 20 Cricket World Cup game between the West Indies and Sri Lanka, being played halfway across the world. Later in the day, after much anxiety, the West Indies is declared the winner of the cricket match and there is a brief pause to celebrate!

A facilitator assists one of the informants in
putting detail onto the model

More than anything else, the screams of joy reverberating around the room remind the trainee-facilitators, facilitators and informants of their common heritage and shared geographical space. The reflection on the impacts climate change is having on natural resources and on the actions being taken to deal with these changes takes on a new dimension.

Jacinthe Amyot of IOC-UNESCO/Marine Affairs Program, Dalhousie University/Canadian International Development Agency IYIP says that after hearing fishermen talk about the effects of the Orinoco river on the Tobago shrimp fishing industry, she has developed a keen appreciation for its effects. She says this information will inform her actions in the future.

Cocoa farmers discuss their
contributions to the model

Jacinthe is one of a number of persons participating in this capacity building event, representing different government, inter-governmental, civil society and academia from across the Greater Caribbean. These persons have been in Tobago since September 29th to participate in this training which is meant to introduce a participatory mapping method which could be adopted across the Caribbean region as it previously happened in Africa and the Pacific.

Meantime, a steady stream of informants continues to trickle in. They had stayed at home in the earlier part of the day to watch the World Cup cricket match while others had gone to church, as is the local tradition. Members of the Cocoa Farmers Association of Tobago (TCFA) and various fisherfolk associations throughout the island transpose their spatial knowledge on the model with the guidance of the facilitators. The farmers talk about the climatic changes they have observed and they also identify areas where cocoa farms exist and verify other bits of information on the model. The farmers share how changes in climate have affected the cocoa crop cycles and caused a high level of unpredictability over the years.

Clement Bobb, President of the Cocoa Farmers Association, says the “sporadic rainfall - short burst of intense rain followed by hot sun – means that there is a longer bearing season”. This kind of weather is causing the trees to flower all year round, he says. Mr. Bobb adds, “we do not know when to plant”.

A fisherman adds information to the model

Mr. Bobb does not own a cocoa farm but manufactures dark chocolates under the ‘House of Orlando’ brand. Talking about the value of the P3DM workshop, the chocolate entrepreneur says its value will last for generations as it is a time capsule documenting the status quo of the island.

Similarly, informant Andre Greene, a fisherman from Parlatuvier, says the P3DM exercise is generating “vibrant information for the coming generations”. He thinks that segments of the model would have to be updated as changes occur due to the impact of climate change. On the issue of fish stock, Andre says it is “getting harder to find fishes in the sea, all year long”. He has to go further out to the sea and stay further away from other fishing vessels. He mentions that while he appreciates the value to the country of natural gas exploration taking place at Block 22 just off the north coast of Tobago, he has concerns that this activity may be a contributory factor to the low level of fish stock.

Continuous Evaluation

The first act of the day, as trainees and facilitators gather, is the assessment of the previous day’s activities and agreement on the agenda for the day. Today, Nicole Leotaud, CANARI’s Executive Director and conservation biologist, takes the debriefing session a little further and does an assessment of the entire workshop. She looks at the areas on the model that have been mapped and examines the information added about Tobago’s resources and the effects of climate change. How locals adapt to the changes is also a part of the assessment, to the extent to which the information is being captured on the model.

In the meantime, as informants come and go, they transpose their mental maps on the model and check existing ones. It is a process of constant cross-checking and verification marked by recurrent negotiations.

There is discussion, sometimes heated, on where lines, areas and points should be located. When there is no consensus, CANARI facilitators and Participatory GIS experts Kenn Mondiai from Papua New Guinea and Kail Zingapan from the Philippines come in to assist.

The workshop is soon drawing to a close, with only four more days to go. In that time, the facilitators look forward to welcome new teams of informants coming from the south western end of the island.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Blank 3D model of Tobago accommodates first set of community inputs

Informants express pleasure at being part of exercise

SCARBOROUGH, 04 October 2012. Bubbling with excitement, informants who came from far and wide to help fill in the blank model of the P3DM of Tobago could barely contain themselves as they realize the importance of their knowledge.

Kail Zingapan, GIS expert being interviewed
by Clyde McNeil of Tobago Channel 5

The room is buzzing with activity as the informants locate features on the map. Four groups of trainee facilitators accompany Tobago residents in transferring their mental maps on the 3D model under the watchful eye of facilitators from the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI), GIS expert Kail Zingapan from the Philippines and Kenn Mondiai of Partners with Melanesians (PwM). .

The island of Tobago, for which the participatory 3D model is being developed, is an island nation and part of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Tobago is the smaller of the two islands and has a land mass of approximately 300 km². The P3D model represent the island at a 1:10,000 scale hence one centimetre on the model corresponds to 100 meters on the ground. The island is home to the largest brain coral in the world and the oldest Forest Reserve in the Western Hemisphere - the Main Ridge Forest Reserve.

Democracy Walls

Teenager Zenniethe Balfour (in blue shirt) transposes data
on the model based on her recollection from memory

Not only are informants transferring their personal knowledge of Tobago, and its surrounding waters up to a depth of -100 meters to the model, but they are also sharing their feelings about the activity on a "Democracy Wall" in a specially marked off area on the wall of the workshop area.

The "Democracy Wall" provides one additional channel for participants to express themselves. To contribute to the Wall, the informants write their notes on small pieces of paper which they then post onto the Wall with tape. Open ended headings such as ‘I believe …’ and ‘I feel …’ stimulate contribution.

Teenager Zenniethe Balfour of the Anse Fromage Ecological Environmental Protection Organisation - Golden Lane sticks her contribution to the Wall: “I did not know Tobago is shaped like a snake”. She says that listening to the contributions of others as they transfer images from their mental maps is a learning experience. In fact, she says she is learning many new things about her community although she has been living there for the past eighteen years.

Asked to convey her feelings about contributing to the blank model, Zenniethe smiles broadly and says she feels “important”. In terms of the value of the entire exercise, she says there is value in knowing the natural resources in one’s community. “As you become aware you will instinctively protect”, she says.

Selecting data for the model

Goldberg Job of Belle Garden shares his views during the
orientation session prior to engaging with the 3D model

Prior to inserting pins and outlining yarn on the model, informants had to agree on colour codes and symbols for particular features such as different types of forests, reefs and other features of importance to them that would be located onto the model. Symbols and colours were associated with legend items to compose the map interpretation key. Throughout the session, informants sought clarification on what types of information could be placed on the model and how they could symbolise it in line with the existing legend.

A fisherman asks why he is seeing government offices, seaports and airports but no banks on the chart. CANARI’s facilitator Neila Bobb-Prescott responds by asking him to what extent the position of a bank is impacted by climate change. He scratches his head, pinches his chin, nods and moves on to another question.

Laura Williams from Anse Fromage adds detail to the model

Before engaging with the model, informants take part in short orientation sessions with facilitators. These sessions include mutual introductions, sharing information on the 3D modelling process, climate change and what the concept of “participatory” means. The orientation sessions also sought to learn about the informants understanding of these concepts and their views on what value they felt the development of this model has for them and would have for Tobagonians.

Laura Williams from the Anse Fromage Ecological Environmental Protection Organisation is busy working on the model, identifying areas in her village, Golden Lane. Golden Lane is a rural village on the north eastern end of Tobago. The Great Courland is one of a few beaches in the world where the endangered leatherback turtles gather every year to lay their eggs. She says she is devoted to ensuring that Golden Lane is well represented; she wants it to be known that the Courland Watershed, the Great Courland, is not so great anymore as it is being heavily impacted by climate change. Noting that deforestation is a big problem in the area, she says man is contributing to this destruction.

Laura says the P3D model will make people of the community more aware of the impact their actions are having on the environment. People outside of the area will also be aware of the problems, she says.

With a wealth of information being shared and mapped by the knowledge holders, the workshop facilitators are looking forward to welcoming more and more members of the communities across Tobago who are expected to arrive over the coming week.

Tobago P3DM - The missing islet

SCARBOROUGH, 7 October, 2012. A lot of positive developments today. Successive groups of residents kept noting two missing islets (Goat Island and Little Tobago) and pointed out that Little Tobago is a bird reserve.

Adam and other facilitators add the missing islets to the model

Adam, one of the workshop participants who used to work at UWI rose to the challenge of preparing the needed contour map far from his GIS lab and using a locally available ink-jet printer to plot the islets out. Kail provided him with the SRTM data and Sarah, one of the UWI graduate students helped Adam obtain the bathymetry. And … magic …by the end the day, Little Tobago and other missing islets were placed onto the model and smoothed with crepe paper.

Informants were entering data on the model in the afternoon. Facilitators sorted out the documentation for the working legend, printed out legend keys so that the facilitating teams could have a mini legend they could refer to while interacting with community members over the model.

According to Kail “the high point of the day for me was when the residents in hilly areas distinguished between different forest categories. Previously, as workshop participants from Trinidad pointed out, most people thought there was just Forest, which meant the Forest Reserve. It turned out they have at least 3 broad categories: the Main Ridge Forest, a primary forest which is a reserve area and enjoying legal protection for vital watershed services; the High Woods, a secondary forest where hunting areas and trails may be found; and the Bush or Woods, a forest area used for multiple agricultural uses (mixed crops such as plantain, cassava, and others). This tells me that Tobagonians are dependent or reliant on forest resources, and the many categories of forest use indicate that they have a complex relationship with the forest area.”

P3DM blank model of Tobago ready for accommodating community’s knowledge

SCARBOROUGH, 3 October, 2012. Facilitators working on the blank model for the P3DM of Tobago all agreed that... “it has been challenging!”

The P3DM of Tobago undergoes the smoothing process u
sing crêpe paper cut-outs

Looking at an example of a model during the orientation, they thought that building a model would have been an easy task, but reality turned out to be quite different. Expressions of relief echo around the workshop area as the blank model is finally complete on day three of the project. Yet, in the same breath, they also give heartfelt thanks for being among the 'chosen few' selected to be part of the workshop. Facilitators are from regional and national non-governmental organizations, government agencies, inter-governmental technical agencies and members of academia.

Held in Tobago at the Mt. St George Blenheim Sheep Multiplication and Research Project, the workshop is being conducted by experts from the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) and the University of the West Indies (UWI) with financial and technical assistance from the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA) and the UNDP Small Grants Programme of the Global Environmental Facility (GEF-SGP).

CANARI's project concept note of July 2012 states that the workshop’s aim is to get members of the community involved in "climate -related decision making" through a process involving the manufacture and use of Participatory 3D Models.

Confidence soars as the hands-on experience continues

Addana Pigott-Henry, an agricultural scientist working at CARDI, Tobago, says the experience for her was different from expectations, since she had envisaged a more formal lecture-style approach to the workshop. After the hands-on experiences of the last couple of days though, she says she now feels empowered to assist in conducting a P3DM exercise with the help of experts. She has learnt a lot from the interactive method and the lessons are invaluable, she says. Addana, is of course happy that the workshop is being held in Tobago so that the regional and international participants can get a chance to experience the hospitality of Tobagonians and its rich and varied cuisine.

Meteorologist Anthony Moore of Barbados says that he is also fairly confident that if he was to build a P3DM, he would be able to do so as he is now equipped with adequate knowledge and experience. Representing the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH), Anthony says that at the beginning of the workshop he was lost and thought that building the model was a 'huge undertaking'. His experience with maps and drawing, cutting and layering contours on a daily basis did little to allay his fears. "A lot has been cleared up because of the hands-on experience," he admits.

Anthony acknowledges the value of a facilitation lesson shared by CANARI's Neila Bobb-Prescott and lists it as a highpoint of the workshop. As a stakeholder in water resource management, he says the lesson is valuable and will help him to get information from farmers for an impact assessment study. "Interaction with them would be easier,” he says.

Not unlike Adanna and Anthony, Adam Jehu of the Institute of Marine Affairs in Trinidad (IMA), also feels he now has the ability to construct a P3DM of an area and acknowledges that this approach to mapping is a "very novel way of capturing spatial data from the members of the community, the people who have the knowledge." Adam is also grateful for the lesson on how to facilitate a P3DM exercise, since although he did know how to use GIS technology, he did not know how to build on community’s knowledge of the landscape.

Community insights

In the middle of one group orientation, a few residents popped in. They stood around the model, and immediately without prompting, they started pointing out places in the island, the river, the forest and many other things, and recognized features on the blank model. And almost as quickly, they pointed out features that were lacking on the model: Little Tobago, the reefs, the rocks, the islets. They began to improve on this omission by contributing the names of the rocks and the islets that lie successively along a chain around the north-eastern tip of Tobago.

“This doesn't cease to amaze me when I see it happen. Local people can immediately spot errors or omissions on GIS maps and correct them” noted Kail Zingapan.

Crucial lessons

Participants create the storyboard using yarn, Playdoh
and other materials

Facilitators learned the components of two more aspects of the P3DM exercise on Wednesday. The first was about monitoring and evaluation of the process. CANARI’s Executive Director, Nicole Leotaud brought some clarity to the concepts and introduced the tool of participatory video (PV) which will be used in the evaluation process. Desiree Sampson, videographer, gave tips on the shooting of videos. This session featured a mix of hands-on training and feedback from trainees.

The facilitators created images of the results they want to achieve from the P3DM process in Tobago with Playdoh, yarn and pins. They then created a storyboard for the video which will be developed to evaluate the effectiveness of P3DM in realizing these desired outputs. The storyboard that was developed is a sequence of drawings which depict the shots planned for the video production.

Cassandra Mitchell of Grenada practices using
one of the PV video cams.

As part of the hands-on training, the participants took the cameras outside the building and took turns in learning how to operate them.

On Thursday 4th October, the facilitators will get ready to capture the workshop action on camera as community informants are expected to arrive in droves to ‘transpose their mental maps’ onto the blank model.

On a lighter note...

Though the trainers and experts themselves have been 'on the go' since the beginning of the workshop, they have found time for lighter moments, such as celebrating the birthday of Wellington Martinez from the Dominican Environmental Consortium. Wellington had the joyful experience of having "Happy Birthday" sung to him in his native language, Spanish. ¡Cumpleaños feliz, Wellington!"

Tuesday, October 09, 2012

Tobagonians build participatory 3D model of Tobago to plan for the impacts of extreme climatic events

The Caribbean Natural Resource Institute (CANARI) has partnered with the Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-UE (CTA) and the University of the West Indies among other groups, to build a 3 dimensional model of Tobago, with the aim of advising persons of being proactive regarding climate change.

Sunday, October 07, 2012

Participatory 3D Models Helping PNG Communities in Natural Resource Decision-Making

Patrick Vuet from a Papua New Guinean conservation NGO 'Partners with Melanesians', has involvement in a participatory method of planning in Melanesia - Participatory 3 Dimensional Modelling. All members of the community are involved -men and women, young and old. Through a 3 dimensional model they can easily see their landscapes and use the model to visualise impacts of certain developments such as mining. In PNG the government doesn't believe the local communities have the capacity to make decisions, but having a 3D model changes everything

Saturday, October 06, 2012

Participatory 3D Modelling (P3DM) for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)

Participatory 3-Dimensional Mapping (P3DM) consists in building geo-referenced stand-alone large-scale relief models made of locally available and materials (e.g. carton, paper, cork) on which knowledge holders can locate and depict a range of topographic features out of memory. According to work done in the Philippines the method is useful for locating assets and vulnerabilities and plan - in a bottom up manner - for Disaster Risk Reduction (DDR). Features are depicted using push-pins (points), yarn (lines), and paint (polygons). For DDR scales range from 1:1000 to 1:2000 to enable mapping and planning at the household level.

Part 1

Part 2

Read about Participatory 3D Modelling (P3DM) for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)
Read about other applications of P3DM consult www.iapad.org

Friday, October 05, 2012

Participatory 3D Modelling in Tobago - key venues

The workshop on Participatory 3D Modelling and Participatory Video organised by CANARI and the UWI in Tobago with assistance provided by CTA and UNDP GEF-SGP will come to an end on October 11. the venue is the Blenheim Sheep Multiplication & Research Center (yellow placemarker). The presentation of the outputs by representatives of participating communities will take place on October 12 in the morning at the Trinidad and Tobago Hospitality and Tourism Institute - Tobago campus (green placemarker)

View P3DM and PV Training in Tobago in a larger map

If you are interested in attending the closing ceremony on October 12, please get in touch with Neila Bobb-Prescott, Senior Technical Officer, The Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI).

Caribbean nationals eager to develop P3DM in their countries: "P3DM a unique, totally new experience"

SCARBOROUGH, 1 October, 2012. Trainers and facilitators took up tools on Monday to begin work on a participatory 3D model of Tobago. Base maps were prepared by a team from the Engineering Faculty of the University of the West Indies (UWI). The base map must be precisely done, warns Kail Zingapan, a Participatory GIS expert from PAFID an NGO based in the Philippines, otherwise creating the model will incur some serious delays and the model itself will not be an accurate P3DM.

Adanna Pigot-Henry from CARDI, Tobago is hard at work
tracing the map contour onto the cardboard

The process of creating the model involves tracing single contour lines visible on the base map onto cardboard sheets, cutting these precisely along these lines, and thereby creating layers that represent different elevations. Each cardboard layer is then glued onto the one representing the lower elevation contour. Kail likens the layering process to that of stacking pancakes. Each contour layer is “every point of equal elevation”, she explains. The elevation model of the island and surrounding waters was developed beforehand by Dr. Bheshem Ramlal of the UWI. Posters listing the layers to be traced were stuck onto the walls of the workshop area to guide the process.

Kenn Mondiai glues a layer onto the model

After a number of layers are glued on top of each other, crêpe paper and glue are used to smooth the edges of the single layers so the blank model "looks like a terrain", Kail tells participants at the workshop. She tells them too, that this part of the exercise must be completed by Wednesday evening to allow the paper to dry so that informants’ data can be added to the model, beginning on Thursday. The informants are community members - for example, elders, fisherfolk, farmers, hunters, environmentalists and other resource users - who are "traditional custodians of spatial knowledge" and who provide information about their neighbourhood and knowledge of its use to be transferred to the map.

During the planning and introduction workshop last Saturday (September 29), participants developed the legend for the map - symbols (points, lines and areas) - to use during the coding process to locate and depict man-made and natural features on the model. Members of civil society organizations and experts from the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment-Tobago House of Assembly (THA), CANARI and the UWI attended that introductory workshop.

Caribbean participants at the workshop are especially keen to be part of the P3DM project. Ingrid Parchment of the Caribbean Coastal Area Management Foundation, which is based in Jamaica, is eager to get community members involved in producing a P3DM of Portland Bight. She works at Portland Blight which is a protected area. Ingrid says she is learning a lot from the workshop, as she noted a very helpful video which showed the process of producing a P3DM, step-by-step.

Orisha Joseph (Grenada), Natalie Boodram (Saint Lucia)
and Jacinthe Amyot (Colombia) working on base map

A papier-mâché of Portland Bight has already been created and Ingrid feels the P3DM would be a step up. However, she is mindful of the need to have experts involved in the activity. “Especially a GIS expert”, she emphasizes, with a wink and a smile.

Likewise, Dr. Natalie Boodram who works at the Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI) - a CARICOM agency with an environmental mandate that is based in Saint Lucia - says that the concept of working with communities to do individual P3DMs is “unique” and a “totally new experience". She says that the workshop is helping her appreciate the value of community input in creating a 3D model of a given space.

Lessons in facilitation

Farzaana Baksh explains good facilitator skills on
the "Body map" produced by her group

While precision and attention to detail are crucial to the creation of the P3DM, there are also moments for fun and laughter. One such moment of light-heartedness was the ‘train the trainers’ session, last Sunday afternoon. As part of a group exercise, one person laid on a large piece of white paper on the floor and her shape was traced onto the paper. Her group then ‘mapped’ on different parts of the drawing, the characteristics of a good facilitator. ‘Body mapping’, as the exercise is called, drew on the lessons the participants learned with the guidance of CANARI’s Senior Technical Officer and workshop coordinator, Neila Bobb-Prescott.

Neila’s sessions helped participants understand the attributes of a good facilitator. She called the attention to fundamental issues such as “how we dress” and “how we pose” (i.e. body language) and the impact of these issues on how the facilitator is perceived at community level. She outlined various ways in which good facilitators make every effort to get individuals to express their views.

Lessons in logistics

Patricia Franco, Administrative Officer at CANARI shares
her insight on logistical planning with workshop participants

Another valuable lesson was taught by CANARI’s Administrative Officer, Patricia Franco. In introducing Patricia, Neila referred to her as an expert who does detailed coordination and management of information for workshops. Logistics assist in ensuring the smooth running of an event and therefore every facilitator should have a working knowledge and develop the skill of good logistical planning Neila says.
Pat, as Patricia is fondly called, explained the importance of every component in planning an event. Using the workshop as an example, she pointed to the many individual activities she had to organize. These ranged from coordinating participants’ flight plans to housing and feeding participants catering.

Members of the workshop - trainers, students, teachers and experts - are certainly gaining all-round knowledge and skills while working diligently to get the process moving forward.

Wednesday, October 03, 2012

Thailand: Helping build more resilient communities

BANGKOK, 12 June, 2012 – A new United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) documentary demonstrates how a unique approach to community security and social cohesion led to more resilient communities in Northern Thailand.

The film documents the work of a UNDP project in Mae Hong Son, Thailand’s poorest province, with the country’s lowest score on UNDP's Human Development Index. It is home to diverse population, including a large number of displaced people from Myanmar. Economic opportunities can be scarce and access to natural resources and basic services are often inadequate.

Using participatory rural appraisal (PRA) and a Participatory 3D Modelling (P3DM) UNDP, the provincial government and villagers identified a number of issues together, including inadequate water for agriculture, the lack of skills for preserving natural resources, and the extinction of banana from the village forest areas.

Read more >>

Related: Democratic Governance: Sustaining Thailand’s Democratic Practice through Improvement of Inclusive Electoral Process (UNDP)

Participatory 3D Modelling exercise kicks off with much gusto in Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago nationals and their Caribbean counterparts converge for workshop.

SCARBOROUGH, 30 September, 2012. Sixth form students and their teachers from secondary schools across Tobago, members of civil society from Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean, along with representatives from the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI), and the University of the West Indies (UWI) have been merging their skills to construct a 3 dimensional (3D) model of Tobago. The 3D model being constructed will cover an area of approximately 1,152 km² and consist of a 1:10,000-scale version of the island and its waters up to a depth of -100 metres, says CANARI’s Senior Technical Officer, Neila Bobb-Prescott.

The process of building this model involves a varied mix of actively involved people and so it is termed participatory 3D modelling or P3DM. The P3DM of Tobago is taking place during a workshop held over the period September 28th to October 12th 2012 at the Blenheim Sheep Multiplication and Research Project station in Tobago.

Kail Zingapan leads a session to explain the application of
GIS technology to the model building exercise

The workshop is facilitated by CANARI and the UWI, with financial and technical assistance from the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA) and the United Nations Development Programme, Global Environment Facility - Small Grants Programme (UNDP GEF-SGP). The model building exercise is coached by a team of facilitators which includes specialists from as far as the Philippines and Papua New Guinea.

The 2-week activity is based on a participatory approach which acknowledges the importance of traditional knowledge and builds on it in making decisions about how to cope with climate change, says Dr. Bheshem Ramlal of the UWI. He adds that the information generated in the mapping exercise can be used for advocacy and informing policy. The participatory approach focuses on learning by doing, exchange of knowledge and collegial data analysis and verification. Data storage and retrieval “must be done by local people or not at all” notes Geographic Information System (GIS) expert Ms. Kail Zingapan from the Philippines.

Student Participation

Sorting through the kit of materials needed
for the model construction

On their first day, the students attended an orientation session at which they were briefed on various aspects of the P3DM process. For the next couple of days, they will trace contours and cut cardboard to represent the elevation of the land and the depths of the sea. The contours will be traced using carbon paper on carton board sheets. These will be cut out and glued on the top of each other paying special attention to their correct geo-location.

Jhon-Pierre of the Signal Hill Senior Comprehensive School and Jaidon Lalla of University of the West Indies Open Campus, both teenage students, are eager to begin construction of the model. They both agree that creating the 3D model of Tobago is an event of historical significance and would help them to appreciate the natural resources of the island. They also see the model being used as a means of helping all stakeholders shape future uses of the resources of Tobago.
The boys were selected by their peers to be interviewed here after the girls in the groups cheerfully chorus “men must rule again”. The boys' response -“yea, yea” - to this show of encouragement was not very enthusiastic, but they showed that they quite understood the significance of the project in which they were all engaged.

Facilitator training

Neila Bobb-Prescott from CANARI prepares
for her presentation on facilitation

A crucial element of the workshop consisted in an initial phase of training of professionals from different areas of the Caribbean to become P3DM facilitators; these persons will return to their countries each equipped with knowledge and necessary skills for replicating the activity in their respective countries
During one of CANARI’s training sessions, Neila introduced the trainees to key concepts in participatory approaches to natural resource management; she identified the role of stakeholders and the challenges and benefits of their involvement in the process.

Additionally, Bheshem, Kenn Mondiai of Partners with Melanesians (PwM), an NGO based in Papua New Guinea and Kail shared information on the development of the Participatory GIS (PGIS). “PGIS is a method used to compose peoples’ spatial knowledge of their landscape with the use of GIS tools”, said Kail.

Caribbean flavour

Enjoying the Tobago cuisine!

Katrina Collins and Shawnaly Pascal from St. Vincent and Grenada, respectively, are happy to be in Tobago at the workshop. They point out the similarities of the physical landscape of the three islands. Their interests include Tobago’s gourmet cuisine. Katrina calls for buss-up shot and roti, cocoa tea and coconut bake. Shawnaly smiles and adds, “Any food I don’t get at home, I want to eat” (sic). Neila politely smiles and indicates she will try her best to please. In keeping with the spirit of camaraderie permeating the workshop, the women were advised, by Tobago participant, Adanna Piggott-Henry, of the need to consume fresh cuisine or face dire gastronomical consequences!

Naming the activity in Tobago

The theme, ‘She becomes more beautiful: Capturing the essence of Tobago today for a better tomorrow’, emerged as the winning title to the P3DM activity after a brainstorming session among workshop participants during the introduction and planning workshop. The first part of the theme, ‘She becomes more beautiful’ is particularly relevant to Tobago as it is the motto for the island’s annual Heritage Festival, and depicts a naked pregnant woman of African descent. The P3DM exercise will certainly capture where Tobago’s development is taking place and will provide an effective platform on which to plan community actions and policy development in the future.

Recognising and Supporting Territories and Areas Conserved by Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities

Recognising and Supporting Territories and Areas Conserved by Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities is a new Publication to be released at CBD’s 11th Conference of Parties (Oct 8-19th) in Hyderabad, India

Published by the CBD Secretariat, based on a study undertaken by the ICCA Consortium, coordinated by the Indian NGO Kalpavriksh

Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Conserved Territories and Areas (ICCAs) contain significant levels of biodiversity and related cultural diversity. This publication provides details of the range, extent and values of such sites, the threats they face, and the efforts being made by governments and civil society at recognizing and supporting them. Drawing lessons from 19 country case studies (covering all continents), and a range of other documentation, it offers lessons on how best to provide recognition to ICCAs.

The knowledge and practices of indigenous peoples and local communities have contributed greatly to conservation of ecosystem, species, and genetic diversity. It is likely that as much of the world’s area as is under officially designated protected areas (about 13%), if not more, is under ICCAs.

In 2010, at the 10th Conference of Parties to the CBD (Nagoya, Japan), governments committed to a Strategic Plan on Biodiversity 2012-20. This included a set of 20 targets (‘Aichi Targets’), covering aspects such as integrating biodiversity into economic development, enhancing the coverage of protected areas and other forms of effective conservation, alleviating poverty and providing secure livelihoods.

This publication shows how ICCAs can help all countries to meet many of these targets, including Target 11 of expanding global protected area coverage to 17% of terrestrial and 10% of marine areas. ICCAs can also help meet commitments under other global agreements such as the Millennium Development Goals and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

This publication stresses that, in order to maintain and enhance the values of ICCAs, indigenous peoples and local communities governing them need adequate and appropriate recognition, including:

Clear rights to territories and natural resources, in both terrestrial and marine areas
Recognition of their institutions of collective governance
Rights to exclude destructive activities like mining
Respect of diverse cultures, lifestyles, economic systems
Recognition of ICCAs as protected areas or other effective conservation areas

The publication shows that several countries are moving substantially in these directions. For instance, in Australia, Indigenous Protected Areas make up about 30% of the official protected area estate, while in the Philippines legislation relating to ancestral domain rights is providing backing to indigenous peoples in their efforts to conserve and sustainable manage their territories. However, many countries are still weak in their recognition of indigenous peoples and local communities in general, and of ICCAs in particular. In most, serious threats from extractive industries and large infrastructure projects, imposition of inappropriate land uses, and lack of recognition are the key challenge.

Global cooperation is needed to enable all countries achieve recognition of ICCAs, to enhance their contribution to conservation, livelihood security, and cultural sustenance. The publication provides pointers on how this can be done through legal, administrative, social, financial, advocacy, networking and other forms of recognition and support.

Citation: Kothari, Ashish with Corrigan, Colleen, Jonas, Harry, Neumann, Aurelie, and Shrumm, Holly. (eds). 2012. Recognising and Supporting Territories and Areas Conserved By Indigenous Peoples And Local Communities: Global Overview and National Case Studies. Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, ICCA Consortium, Kalpavriksh, and Natural Justice, Montreal, Canada. Technical Series no. 64, 160 pp.

For further details, contact Ashish Kothari.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

ICTs for Climate Change Adaptation: Introduction of innovative technologies in the Caribbean

Starting at the end of this week Tobago will host a very interesting event. Close to 200 residents of the island will come together in a two-week workshop to build a physical three-dimensional model of Tobago. The process will contribute to formulating responses and develop action plans addressing the impacts of climate change and extreme climatic events.

The 3D model will cover a total area of 1,188 sq km at a 1:10,000 scale. Once completed, the model will display a wide range of terrestrial and marine features and landmarks which will help communities articulate their concerns, needs and aspirations in terms of development and disaster risk reduction. In the process, facilitators will use methods known as Participatory 3D Modelling (P3DM) and Participatory Video (PV) which will help in documenting and adding value to the input of local and traditional knowledge from communities.

The workshop will take place at the Blenheim Sheep Multiplication & Research Center in Tobago (29 September - 11 October, 2011).

View Participatory 3D Modelling Workshop in Tobago in a larger map

The activities will culminate in the presentation of an impressive relief model (measuring 4.9 m x 2.4 m) and a participatory video by representatives of the local communities and project facilitators at a handing over ceremony which will take place on Friday 12th October 2012 at the auditorium of the Trinidad and Tobago Hospitality and Tourism Institute - Tobago campus (by invitation only).

P3DM of Manus Island, Papua New Guinea. Photo credit: J. Hardcastle

The project will pilot, for the first time in the region, the use of P3DM. P3DM is a participatory mapping method that can be used across the Caribbean islands to facilitate effective participation by local communities and other stakeholders in the identification of general policy priorities, as well as specific policies and actions needed on the ground at the landscape and site level to address land management issues, including the impacts of climate change and extreme climatic events. This method will allow inclusion of relevant local and traditional knowledge, increase capacity, facilitate coordination and collaboration across sectors, and build buy-in for implementation of plans for resilience to climate change and extreme climatic events.

Twenty-two trainees from the region (including five from Tobago) will be trained to facilitate P3DM and PV processes in this project, and nearly fifty observers from the region will visit during the construction of the model.

The process is facilitated by the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI), the University of the West Indies (UWI), the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), Division of Agriculture, Marine Affairs, Marketing and the Environment (DAME) and the Partners with Melanesians (PwM). Funding and expertise is provided by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA) and the United Nations Development Programme and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme (SGP).

In the forthcoming months CTA will support capacity building in the domain of Web 2.0 and social media. In the forthcoming months, CTA will support capacity building in the domain of Web 2.0 and social media. In addition, CANARI has secured funding from the Federal Republic of Germany to facilitate the production of a civil society agenda addressing climate change issues in the island as a follow-up activity to this project.

If you are interested in having a look at "work in progress" please contact Mrs. Neila Bobb-Prescott (e-mail: neila@canari.org; phone: 001-868-789-9917 or 001-868-302-3739 to get more information.

Crowdsourcing Geographic Knowledge: Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) in Theory and Practice

The phenomenon of volunteered geographic information is part of a profound transformation in how geographic data, information, and knowledge are produced and circulated. By situating volunteered geographic information (VGI) in the context of big-data deluge and the data-intensive inquiry, the 20 chapters in this book explore both the theories and applications of crowdsourcing for geographic knowledge production with three sections focusing on 1). VGI, Public Participation, and Citizen Science; 2). Geographic Knowledge Production and Place Inference; and 3). Emerging Applications and New Challenges.

This book argues that future progress in VGI research depends in large part on building strong linkages with diverse geographic scholarship. Contributors of this volume situate VGI research in geography’s core concerns with space and place, and offer several ways of addressing persistent challenges of quality assurance in VGI.

This book positions VGI as part of a shift toward hybrid epistemologies, and potentially a fourth paradigm of data-intensive inquiry across the sciences. It also considers the implications of VGI and the exaflood for further time-space compression and new forms, degrees of digital inequality, the renewed importance of geography, and the role of crowdsourcing for geographic knowledge production.

Daniel Sui (Editor), Sarah Elwood (Editor), Michael Goodchild (Editor)

Publisher: Springer; 2013 edition (August 9, 2012)

ISBN-10: 9400745869 | ISBN-13: 978-9400745865 | Edition: 2013

Pages

Friday, October 12, 2012

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Historical perspective

Climate change adaptation

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Thursday, October 11, 2012

Continuous Evaluation

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Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Democracy Walls

Selecting data for the model

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Confidence soars as the hands-on experience continues

Community insights

Crucial lessons

On a lighter note...

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Tuesday, October 09, 2012

Sunday, October 07, 2012

Saturday, October 06, 2012

Friday, October 05, 2012

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Lessons in facilitation

Lessons in logistics

Wednesday, October 03, 2012

Student Participation

Facilitator training

Caribbean flavour

Naming the activity in Tobago

Thursday, September 27, 2012