Volunteer provides GIS assistance to Lemur Conservation Foundation in Madagascar

The Protected Area Management (PAM) initiative is a partnership between the National Geographic Society, Esri, GISCorps. This initiative seeks to facilitate and support the effective use of Esri’s ArcGIS Solutions for Conservation, which has been made available at no cost to protected areas throughout Africa through a partnership between Esri and the National Geographic Society. ArcGIS Solutions for Conservation provides protected area managers with a secure suite of configurable technology for better managing and protecting parks and sensitive conservation areas.

This project is in partnership with Lemur Conservation Foundation (LCF). The Lemur Conservation Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and conservation of the primates of Madagascar through managed breeding, scientific research, education, and art. Their founders envisioned a comprehensive conservation initiative where art complements science, research dovetails with education, and a breeding program in the United States provides a safety net for native lemur populations, supporting conservation programs in Madagascar.

LCF has been using ArcGIS Online (AGO) for a while for a variety of projects including but not limited to wildlife management, threat mapping, and forest patrol. They have developed several Survey123 for those projects. LCF is interested in working with a GISCorps volunteer to evaluate their current environment, share AGO best practices, validate the park’s boundary using the most appropriate tools (i.e. Field Maps), discuss application of other AGO products such as Experience Builder, Quick Capture, ArcGIS Hub, and last but not least leave clear and detailed training material behind (written or recorded). This is a three-month project; it starts with remote assistance followed by a 7-10 day on-site visit, and then several weeks of post-visit support.

Robert Hofstede, a GISCorps volunteer from the Netherlands, has been recruited to share his GIS expertise with LCF.

Recruitment complete, project is in progress.