May_BVC

4 5 MAY/JUNE 2018 Opening Lines REVOLUTIONARY AERIAL MAPPING OF CORAL REEFS IN THE CARIBBEAN LAUNCHED T he Nature Conservancy in the Caribbe- an, Carnegie Institution for Science and Planet have launched a groundbreaking initiative to create the first ever high-res- olution map of the shallow waters of the entire Caribbean Basin. The goal of this initiative, the likes of which have never been attempted before, is to understand coral reef ecosystems in a truly comprehensive way in order to effectively plan for coral reef restoration and protection. This advanced technology offers hope for vulnerable reefs, the marine wildlife that inhabits them, and the people whose livelihoods depend on them. The specialized aircraft collecting aerial images, called the Carnegie Airborne Observatory, launched missions in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, and began mapping critical reef habitats. The plane will fly two subsequent missions a day for 16 straight days, first in the Virgin Islands and then over the Do- minican Republic, gathering detailed data of both healthy and degraded coral reef ecosystems. The plan is to expand this aerial imaging and mapping throughout the Caribbean. A vast majority of Caribbean countries and terri- tories lack accurate and up-to-date maps of their own coral reefs, and this partnership aims to bridge these data gaps in the region.Without these base- lines it is difficult to track and monitor changes, or to advise management of the most threatened areas that need immediate protection. This initiative will provide a consistent baseline at a level of accuracy that has never before been attained, acquiring data at multiple scales using state-of-the-art remote sensing technologies from