Monitoring the Sky Aelans of Malaita in the Solomon Islands

Mai Maasina Greenbelt, Islands Knowledge Institute, Awana Digital, Terras App Solutions, Nia Tero

Malaita, Solomon Islands

The Sky Islands, or Sky Aelans in the Solomon Islands, are isolated mountaintops in the Solomon Islands archipelago that are known for their unique habitats and species. Decades of logging have drastically changed the landscape and lifestyle of those who call the Solomon Islands home. Now, these last untouched high altitude forest of the country are at risk of being lost, and the Indigenous communities who call these forests home seek to protect them. The community-based organizations Mai Maasina Greenbelt and Islands Knowledge Institute are using cutting edge mapping and remote sensing technologies to establish a continuous and near real-time monitoring methodology.

Project Goal
Mai Maasina Greenbelt and Islands Knowledge Institute are working with the Indigenous communities and Malaita and elsewhere in the Solomon Islands to conduct continuous mapping and monitoring of community areas and the Sky Aelans located above 400m altitude where extractive activities were declared illegal.

Conservation Metrics
Conservation Metrics is working closely with the partners to co-create a digital platform called GuardianConnector, a free and open-source data sovereignty platform for communities to securely access, explore, and derive insights from their data, which will be stored on premises they fully own. Conservation Metrics is also providing support with survey design, capacity building in mapping and monitoring methodologies and usage of tools, generation of near-real time change detection alerts, and data visualization on GuardianConnector.

Project Stats

1 Countries

5 Partners

5 Ethnicities

430,700 Hectares monitored

Testimonial

Change detection is key for us because it provides real-time data to assess land cover changes over time, providing valuable insights into environmental pressures. This information helps the organization and its members prioritize areas for conservation interventions, identify illegal logging activities, and assess the effectiveness of our conservation strategies.

Edgar Pollard, Coordinator, Islands Knowledge Institute