Original article in its format is available here
Finding resources that can build cyclone-resilient homes, water systems for communities and infrastructure for our schools and hospitals can be a challenge in the Pacific.
Small island communities with limited access to large quarries where this material can be sourced or the prohibitive cost involved means that many illegally extract river, sand and rocks from river systems across the Pacific.
This has impacts on communities and their water supply, can increase the impact of flooding and can negatively impact the natural environment of the Pacific region.
In Fiji, demand for gravel is high, particularly where access to land and gravel aggregates is limited. Due to the relatively limited environmental impacts, governments, civil societies, and research institutions advocate for land-based quarries. Yet, many companies are still drawn towards the ease of access of in-river-gravel and in Fiji, illegal extraction of river gravel has increased since COVID-19, according to the Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources in Fiji. Despite the need to obtain a license to extract gravel, monitoring all the areas effectively has proven challenging.
Monitoring these activities across the more than 300 islands and in remote locations where transport by horse can be the only access point makes it hard for the Ministry to prevent these activities from taking place. However, a new innovative way promises to tackle such issues—a technology-driven tool that puts accurate data in the decision-makers hands: SPC’s Digital Earth Pacific (DEP) programme.
Digital Earth Pacific uses satellite data to provide updates on changes to our environment and can identify where river gravel is being extracted, which allows regulators to inform their prevention of this activity in the future. The platform is an operational earth observation system that takes decades of freely available data and brings it together in a sensible and visual way within the Pacific context.
During a demo for the Digital Earth Pacific programme in Fiji, Acting Director of Fiji's Mineral Resources Department, Raymond Mohammed, shared: “We face challenges in effectively regulating the sector. Illegal extraction places a strain on our resources, and in that regard, we need to be able to explore more effective ways of monitoring. We thank SPC and DEP for the platform, and after the demonstration today, I am very much excited about what the future holds for the ministry”.
Despite the movement away from in-river gravel extraction, these activities continue to be undertaken sometimes in areas outside of permit areas and operating standards. Illegal gravel extraction practices are difficult to monitor for compliance. This is, in part, because in-river gravel extraction often takes place in rural and remote areas and can be difficult to access through field workers alone. Earth observation tools being developed in DEP have emerged as potential solutions to this issue to help identify where this in-river gravel is occurring both within and outside of licensed areas.
The DEP programme collects high-resolution satellite imagery, combined with the efforts of teams deployed on the ground, to map out the changes in the environment in extraordinary detail, providing valuable insights and tools for better decision-making across many areas, including flooding, drought, soil and coastal erosion, agriculture, forest cover, land use and land cover change, water availability and quality, and changes to human settlements.
This [DEP] platform will help us monitor and combat the illegal extraction of our resources, which is putting a strain on our environment”.
Mr Mohammed continues: “Now, with DEP, we are better positioned to effectively regulate, surveillance and bring to justice those breaking the law”.
Besides the bond and respect for the environment the Pacific people hold, Mr Mohammed explains that “the extraction affects the daily sustenance of people relying on the river. They suffer from income loss for the communities that are supposed to benefit from this”.
“It’s paramount that we utilise whatever technology presented for us. And this is another way of working smarter, not harder”, states Mr Mohammed.
DEP offers an efficient new pathway for change, where data-driven facts lay the grounds for recent alternative decisions for Pacific leaders.
SPC is thrilled to lead the development of the public digital infrastructure that is Digital Earth Pacific. To achieve the ambitious goals, we invite you to join us. Given our demand-driven approach, partnerships are an essential and major element of DEP. We seek mutually beneficial partnerships to deliver the programme, amplify the benefits, and ensure sustainability.
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