Times of the Islands Winter 2020/21
Presents the "soul of the Turks & Caicos Islands" with in-depth features about local people, culture, history, environment, real estate, businesses, resorts, restaurants and activities.
Presents the "soul of the Turks & Caicos Islands" with in-depth features about local people, culture, history, environment, real estate, businesses, resorts, restaurants and activities.
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green pages newsletter <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> department <strong>of</strong> environment & coastal resources<br />
prediction maps for a rare endemic taxon <strong>of</strong> Encyclia<br />
orchid, and was able to use <strong>the</strong> range limit to calculate a<br />
probable International Union for Conservation <strong>of</strong> Nature<br />
Red Data List status for <strong>the</strong> taxon. Demarco Williams,<br />
Assistant Director <strong>of</strong> Department <strong>of</strong> Survey and Mapping,<br />
analysed pre- and post- 2017 hurricane imagery to understand<br />
impact and recovery <strong>of</strong> mangroves in South Creek,<br />
Grand Turk. While <strong>the</strong> training course focused on natural<br />
impact and recovery, Assistant Director Williams was<br />
also able to focus <strong>the</strong> techniques on tracking unlicensed<br />
development spread on Providenciales.<br />
Students <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> master class in Wales presented <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
projects to Hon. Ralph Higgs, TCI Minister <strong>of</strong> Tourism,<br />
Environment, Heritage, Maritime and Gaming in <strong>the</strong><br />
February <strong>2020</strong> follow-up meeting, demonstrating <strong>the</strong><br />
skills <strong>the</strong>y have acquired through <strong>the</strong> course.<br />
Following <strong>the</strong> completion <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> courses, DECR team<br />
members have been able to use GIS for additional projects<br />
showing illegal development impact to Protected<br />
Areas, loss <strong>of</strong> habitat from land clearance and changes<br />
to land due to mining activity. These tools have resulted<br />
in stronger capacity to enforce environmental law and<br />
collaborate with o<strong>the</strong>r departments whose remits DECR’s<br />
overlaps in <strong>the</strong>se issues.<br />
With several o<strong>the</strong>r Darwin Plus projects underway and<br />
recently awarded funding, DECR is now far better suited<br />
to collaborations with international partners through<br />
<strong>the</strong>se projects, and <strong>the</strong> recurrent environmental responsibilities<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> department. a<br />
From top: GIS Master Class participants from Turks & Caicos <strong>Islands</strong><br />
and British Virgin <strong>Islands</strong> work through <strong>the</strong>ir projects with support<br />
from expert trainers at Environment Systems headquarters in<br />
Aberystwyth, Wales.<br />
Using QGIS to manipulate Sentinel 2 imagery from Pine Cay shows<br />
healthy, recovering Caicos pine forests (dark green-grey patch in centre<br />
<strong>of</strong> image) around <strong>the</strong> Diamond Jubilee Pine Yard.<br />
DECR Director Lormeka Williams learns to use a sounding device to<br />
collect data on underwater terrain in Tortola, British Virgin <strong>Islands</strong>.<br />
38 www.timespub.tc
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