Building on the success of the first series, the Pacific learning partnership for environmental and social safeguards (PLP-ESS) is delivering a second round of regional training for strengthening environmental and social sustainability from October until December 2021.

PLP-ESS is an agreed collaboration mechanism between the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), the University of the South Pacific (USP), the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank.

It is designed to bring together key skills, funding, and practical experience to support the Pacific in ensuring that the environmental and social risks of needed infrastructure are managed effectively.

The first module delivered by the SPREP GIS Team covered the application of Geographical Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) for EIA studies.

Participants received an introductory level training on the use of remote sensing and geographical information system as a software tool for organizing geographical data to gain actionable intelligence for effective EIA decision-making.

The first training session held virtually on 19th October 2021 saw over 60 participants from all across the Pacific in attendance. Key outcomes from the highly engaging session were the need for strengthening data collection and sharing between government agencies as well as enhancing the use of GIS for Environmental and Social decision-making.

The PLP-ESS partnership is scheduled to continue with seven more modules planned before the year ends.

This story was produced by Leanne. published at SPREP on 20 October 2021, reposted via PACNEWS.