Using Digital Earth Africa to Support Climate Resilience and Community-Led Conservation
Digital Earth Africa continues to highlight how its platform empowers real-world environmental change, partnering with organizations that are building resilience against climate change and promoting biodiversity. A recent collaboration with the Sustainable Ecosystem-Based Adaptation Solutions (SEDAD) project in Senegal - via Centre de Suivi Ecologique (CSE), one of DE Africa's key regional partners - underscores the powerful intersection of satellite technology, local knowledge, and community-driven conservation.
The seagrass mapping aims to enhance understanding of the plant's distribution and health, enabling better protection, management, and utilisation of these critical coastal ecosystems. Seagrass ecosystems, while vital, have historically been understudied in Senegal, leaving them vulnerable to environmental degradation, development pressures, and climate-related threats.
Stakeholders in Focus
The Directorate of Community Marine Protected Areas (DAMPC), under the Ministry of Environment and Ecological Transition, is a key stakeholder in the SEDAD project. As policymakers, DAMPC will use the data generated to inform national marine conservation efforts. Commandant Binta BA from DAMPC has played a pivotal role in linking policy to ground-level action. Other collaborators include Nicolas Mbengue and Moussa Dieng from the SEDAD project, and Dieynaba Seck from CSE, who contributed valuable expertise.
At the heart of the work is a ground-breaking seagrass mapping initiative conducted within a Marine Protected Area (MPA) in southern Senegal. Led by a local project manager from SEDAD and supported through DE Africa’s satellite data, the project’s primary goal was twofold: confirm the presence of seagrass ecosystems and classify the different species found.
A Data-Driven Approach to Marine Mapping
The mapping was achieved through a sophisticated notebook developed using DE Africa’s Sandbox platform and Sentinel-2 datasets. Several indices were used for precise detection:
- Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) to identify water areas
- Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to detect vegetation at low tide
- Normalized Difference Chlorophyll Index (NDCI) for chlorophyll detection in water
- Submerged Seagrass Identification Index (SSII) to pinpoint submerged seagrass
These algorithms were initially trained using data from Mauritania, making this application in Senegal both innovative and regionally adaptive.
Seagrass ecosystems play a critical role in:
- Supporting biodiversity,
- Enabling carbon sequestration (helping combat climate change),
- Stabilizing coastal areas against erosion.
The SEDAD project prioritised this work after recognising that previous efforts to catalogue seagrass ecosystems had been limited or inconclusive. A student researcher was deployed to conduct field validation, meeting with local stakeholders, including fishermen and community members, to confirm satellite findings on the ground.
One major insight gained was the lack of community awareness about the importance of seagrass. Many stakeholders initially misunderstood seagrass, sometimes confusing it with other marine plants. This discovery pointed to an urgent need for community education on the ecological and economic value of these ecosystems.
Importantly, the MPA is managed under a participatory management model, where local communities are directly involved in decision-making and stewardship. This approach encourages sustainable resource use, empowering communities to balance their livelihoods with environmental conservation. Rather than imposing top-down regulations, the model fosters ownership and long-term protection of marine resources.
Next Steps in the Journey
The mapping work has now confirmed the presence of seagrass, and the next steps include:
- Classification of seagrass type
- Detection and monitoring of seagrass health
- Detailed underwater surveys by divers
- Production of a comprehensive report analysing the seagrass distribution
- Comparison of the new findings with older mapping attempts
- Further refinement of the mapping algorithm based on field data
Ultimately, the information gathered will support park managers and community leaders in protecting and managing the MPA more effectively, ensuring that conservation strategies are informed, inclusive, and future-proof.
As DE Africa’s Communications Lead Kerryn emphasised, "the story is not just about using powerful technology, it’s about creating real, measurable impacts in communities facing the frontlines of climate change".
In the words of a project contributor:
“Digital Earth Africa provides free access to high quality satellite data and enables us to track environmental changes, coastlines, wetlands, land use with greater accuracy and map them. With Digital Earth Africa, I became more knowledgeable about remote sensing and Python programming.” Ndeye Fatou SANE, student researcher and field validation lead