Geographic Information Systems

Effective conservation requires exceptional management, and exceptional management requires objective, reliable data that can be used to measure progress and make critical decisions. Geospatial information is critically important to many of DCNA’s core functions and establishing and utilising geographical information systems (GIS) has been identified as a pressing need by nature managers to achieve their conservation goals.

A project was launched in 2011 building on DCNA’s initial GIS efforts; collating, organizing, modifying and creating essential regional-wide data and ensuring their usefulness to marine and terrestrial protected area managers on the six Dutch Caribbean islands. The objectives of the first phase of the project were to (i) produce several key nature data layers in a standard style and format and (ii) develop a GIS data user manual, instructing on best practices for modification of layers and the production of additional layers in the same style and format.