Anguilla is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean, where Environment systems has been working for the last two years. The first project mapped the variety and extent of the habitats on the islands in the archipelago. A year later we were mapping Anguilla’s marine environment, creating a bathymetry layer with Worldview 2 satellite imagery and now we are mapping ecosystem services.

When we started there were already some protected areas on the islands but no baseline information with regard to wetland (mangrove), limestone scrubland or particular species important to the islands’ biodiversity. Some parts of the coast also feature a significant coral shelf with sea grass beds. Anguilla is actively seeking the extension of the CITES(Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) of Wild Fauna and Flora and is keen to protect its species which include cacti, orchids and a number of lizards unique to the islands.

The new habitat map has been created from Earth Observation data, including satellite, aerial photography and field survey data. The project also includes a knowledge transfer and training element with key members of staff from the Anguillan DOE and Department of Physical Planning (DPP) visiting Aberystwyth to gain a better understanding of the use of Earth Observation techniques and software.

The map itself will enable the DOE and the DPP to make more definitive and comprehensive decisions regarding future land development on the islands both in and beyond the ecological context and will be shared with other agencies across the Anguillan Government.