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Democratizing Data Access for Enhanced Decision-making & Collaboration

David Williams– Sr. Director, AWF Conservation Geography

Conservation Measures Partnership Retreat, Oct. 2023

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Where do I send my ranger patrols?

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Where do I route that new road?

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Should I move… change livelihood?

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AWF Goal: Ensure leaders consider Africa’s natural assets/wildlife in decision-making

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Context: Advances driving explosion of

field/sky data availability.

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How does the conservation community capitalize on these developments?

BI/visualizations

Data analysis tools

Costs

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Policy Makers

Community�Leaders

Protected�Area Managers

Planners

Private Sector

Opportunity: scale adaption of tools to enable stakeholders to harness spatial data explosion

+

More stakeholders making smarter, faster, data-driven decisions…scaled impact

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Africa: fastest changing, most data poor continent

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Country/landscape level planning

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Identify potential habitat, protected area

Assess degradation rates, drivers

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Objective: abet situational analyses to guide country/landscape planning/strategy development

TRACTS Scale

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TRACTS Scale

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Assess socio-economic context…poverty, pop dens.

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Prioritize Areas of Focus and Rate Risk Level

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Slide Theme: What work habits are different because of GIS? What's the alternative path, what does spatial literacy look like?

From the AWF Website: https://www.awf.org/land-protection/land-use-planning

�Land-use planning depends on local empowerment and national frameworks.

To harmonize various land uses — conservation, agriculture, development, grazing — in a vast and cohesive landscape, we support participatory land-use planning. By engaging key stakeholders in the planning process AWF ensures that there is true ownership of and support for plans, which are embedded in the relevant legal framework.

Operating according to government regulations, community-driven natural resource management can revitalize rural economies and retain the stability of critical ecosystems.

Conservation planning supports social, ecological, and economic values.

African Wildlife Foundation firmly believes that with proper planning, Africa can simultaneously support robust economic development and viable conservation landscapes, which is why AWF invests heavily in conservation planning at all levels.

AWF’s goal is to make ecosystem management a deliberate and intentional process benefitting people, wildlife, and the land itself. Land-use planning for enhanced rural development and wealth creation, as well as food and water security, can also meet conservation targets.

Without proper planning, natural resources are used unsustainably to realize socioeconomic objectives, extractive industries emerge, and infrastructure development persists without consideration for wildlife or lands.

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AWF LCP: Landscape Selection-Desktop Scoping

TRACTS Scale: Selection-Eswatini Desktop Scoping

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Target landscape

TRACTS Scale: Selection-Eswatini Desktop Scoping

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Conservation area management�

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TRACTS Sites: Fire Management

Objective: operational decision support

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TRACTS Sites: Wildlife Management

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TRACTS Sites: Wildlife Management

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TRACTS Sites: Grazing Insights

Outside PA

Inside PA

Outside PA

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Capacity

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Collaboration

62,000 km2

Joint Operations Command Center

police

military

43 conservancies

KWS

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Monitoring & Evaluation

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Degradation Dashboard: Dja Monitoring

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Degradation Dashboard: Dja Monitoring

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Roads (May, 2023)

Degradation Dashboard: Dja Monitoring

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No roads (Dec, 2021)

Degradation Dashboard: Dja Monitoring

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Degradation Dashboard: Dja Adaptive Management

Change analysis findings: 81.0 Km new roads contributed to 139.5 hectares of forest degradation.

AWF relates findings at

workshop

Responses

UNESCO developing action plan aimed at strengthening buffer zone mgt via community engagement.
AWF/MINFOF proposal to fund such efforts.

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Risk Management

Insecurity common to numerous AWF focal landscapes. Bili historically lawless borderland…

AWF response: Risk Management Committee: guidance to

staff/partners operating in insecure/high conflict areas. Field intelligence one source….

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Risk Management

Vets/compiles info on actors, dates/locations of reported political violence and protest events.

violence

protests

abductions

Risk evaluation

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Risk Management Dashboard: Bili

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Risk Management Dashboard: Bili

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AWF Landscape Conservation Process (Cons Geo Version)

TRACTS Sites

M&E Dashboards

TRACTS Scale

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SCALING�

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WORKING �TOGETHER

ESRI

Expertise and tools

Unrivaled archive of spatial data

Experience scaling conservation solutions

AWF

Ability to test & market through networks

Relationships with decision �makers & experience convening �a range of institutions

Experience with Esri tools �and capacity building

Implementing Partners

Key conservation stewards �and end users

Potential to scale impact

TOOLS

TRAINING

CONVENING

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Partner Engagement: Okavango Capital Partners

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TRACTS-Scale Okavango Capital Partners

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Africa Civil Society Biodiversity Alliance

80+ CSOs: for biodiversity/sustainable development.
Predominately low spatial capacity
Goal: onboard them to EB decision making via geoportals/training.
Proposal to fund pilot in works.
FOS Scaling challenge?

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Africa Protected Area Directors Group

PA leaders from across continent
Goals:

>PA management w/ TRACTS Sites

>COP around tools to abet X-site learning.

Zimbawe start
FOS Scaling challenge?

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CLOSING THOUGHTS

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Challenges/Conclusions

BI interfaces create maintenance challenges.

>>Still the bottleneck. Working to automate/streamline data flows.

Build it, they don’t just come.

>>Highlight potential/benefits.

>>Develop spatial literacy via webinar series

Collaboration: well-defined partnerships are essential. Esri, networks, stakeholders…can’t do it alone!

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Future directions

Land use planning top ABCG strategy to combat habitat loss

Great ABCG LUP course but tech. hurdle to Afri-uptake is significant

Gold standard: Scenario-based LUP…Aluminum grade?

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Thank You