Google Earth Outreach - Case Study: Conservation in the Greater Gombe Ecosystem

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Jane Goodall Institute - Conservation in the Greater Gombe Ecosystem

This imagery is a powerful tool to help us visualise the spatial relationships between the forest and human land uses. You can clearly see houses, paths, oil palm plantations, cassava fields and other agricultural activity. Looking at these images, we gain a true appreciation for the degree of threat and challenges we face in saving Gombe.

- Lilian Pintea, Director of Conservation Science, JGI

Introduction

Water source for village of Mwamgongo
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The goal of the Jane Goodall Institute's Africa Programmes is to preserve African great apes and their habitats with an emphasis on chimpanzees. To be effective, conservation projects require the best science and data available to design, implement, measure and monitor the success of conservation actions. They also must engage stakeholders in participatory and transparent ways - from local communities to government authorities. Conservation problems are intrinsically spatial. However, people have different perceptions of and meanings associated with landscapes. By using Google Earth along with the DigitalGlobe's QuickBird satellite data, we aimed to develop a common spatial framework of the project area - a shared geographic language that allows us to communicate with stakeholders who have diverse cultural and educational backgrounds. We also hoped that we could combine GIS scientific data with indigenous knowledge of landscapes and wildlife distribution.

Our KML Implementation

Greater Gombe Ecosystem

Predicted chimpanzee habitat in Mahale region
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We provided GPS ground control points, a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and other GIS layers to DigitalGlobe to orthorectify and calibrate a QuickBird satellite image of the Greater Gombe Ecosystem area. That data was collected over a four-year period as part of a PhD research project. An orthorectified 1 metre satellite image was essential for the project. The DEM, Orthorectified QuickBird imagery, the boundary of the Gombe National Park, streams, roads, villages, water sources, field pictures and chimpanzee sightings outside of Gombe National Park were required to illustrate the impact of deforestation on water quality and to delineate the most important conservation areas.

Greater Mahale Ecosystem

GPS data were collected over a period of one year by the Frankfurt Zoological Society and the Jane Goodall Institute. A chimpanzee distribution model was developed as part of a chimpanzee survey with the Wildlife Conservation Society. A new collection of QuickBird satellite imagery is scheduled for the summer of 2007. This part of the project shows whether the border of the Mahale Mountains National Park, streams, roads, villages and habitats are suitable for chimpanzees.

Positive Surprises

The advantages of using Google Earth as a tool to discuss landscapes and land uses with local communities that have limited education or understanding of maps.
The importance of 3D images. Villagers were able to recognise land features, even on 15m Landsat image, because of the hills and valleys that are easily recognisable in 3D.

Exposure, Recognition and Impact

Villagers showing elephant migration routes
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Layers from the Greater Gombe Ecosystem KML are published as part of Gombe geoblog. In addition, the Greater Gombe Ecosystem KML was used in July 2006 in a briefing on water resource management to members of the Tanzanian Parliament as part of the Tanzania President's Environmental Committee meeting in Dodoma, Tanzania. The KML was also used in a conservation planning workshop in Kigoma, Tanzania in February 2007 to delineate onscreen core conservation areas for the Greater Gombe Ecosystem project.

The Greater Mahale Ecosystem KML was used in Mahale Mountains National Park, Tanzania in a meeting with Frankfurt Zoological Society, TANAPA (Tanzania National Parks) and village representatives from the adjacent villages. The KML served as the main tool to map the villagers' knowledge of current and historical elephant movement paths in Mahale Mountains National Park, Katavi National Park and other habitats outside of the protected areas. This information is used as part of a conservation planning process that will identify important wildlife corridors between protected areas. Using Google Earth for this project has raised awareness of conservation issues on the part of the public and policy makers and raised the profile of our organisation.

Author

Lilian Pintea, Director of Conservation Science, Jane Goodall Institute

Contact

Nona Gandelman
Phone: (703) 682-9220
Email: ngandelman@janegoodall.org