The Mapping Techniques for Marine Protected Areas

PERSGA organized a regional training workshop on “The Mapping Techniques for Marine Protected Areas in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden” during 6-8 January 2015 at Port Sudan, Sudan. The workshop was attended by 16 national trainees from PERSGA member states with the leading of an international consultant.

Throughout three days, the participant were trained on a range of different field survey methods that can be used to collect data for creating maps for use in the planning and management of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

This training workshop comes in the framework of implementing one of the main interventions by component 1 of the SEM project. This intervention is focusing on raising the ability of the participants and MPAs managers to assist in the design of MPA zoning plans.

The training covered survey methods to collect data for mapping habitats, pressures / uses provided through both classroom-based and field based training sessions. The workshop concluded with lessons on how these data can be used to produce a series of operational maps that can help plan for the management of MPAs.

The trainees learned how to plan a field survey, and how to use a hand-held Geographical Positioning System (GPS) to navigate to survey points, collect waypoints, and how to download GPS points and tracks.

At the end of the training workshop, trainees demonstrated how these types of data can be used to create maps that can be combined and used to assist in the design of MPA zoning plans, the preparation of MPA management plans and in the operation of an MPA including the monitoring of the effectiveness of management actions.