🌊 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙖 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙖𝙡

Utilizing ArcGIS Pro software and ArcGIS Online, I proposed the boundaries for a Marine Protected Area (MPA), advocating for marine conservation and sustainable use of our ocean's resources.

I used various ArcGIS Pro tools, including Spatial Reference, Feature Dataset, Excel to Table, Creation of Shapefile, Erase, Select, Buffer, Symbology, Spline, Clip, Calculate geometry, Identity, and Union. Ultimately, using ArcGIS Pro, a map was obtained with the proposed area to be protected. In ArcGIS Online, dashboard and story map tools were used to present the results in an interactive and engaging way.

The sources of data used in this project were:

✔️ Terrestrial coverage Shapefile.

✔️ Seabed coverage Shapefile.

✔️ Cardisoma guanhumi corridors Shapefile.

✔️ Stations Shapefile with information on benthic fauna diversity.

✔️ Sula dactylatra nesting sites Shapefile.

✔️ Fregata magnificens nesting sites Shapefile.

✔️ Tursiops truncatus shapefile.

✔️ Benthic fish richness sites Shapefile.

✔️ Roads Shapefile.

✔️ Station table with reports on the Marine Water Quality Index.

The requirements that the proposed Marine Protected Area had to meet were::

✔️ At least one sector identified by its high concentration of nesting sites for marine bird species (Sula dactylatra and Fregata magnificens) and three Cardisoma guanhumi crab corridors must be conserved.

✔️ The conserved area must represent all natural ecosystems, especially coral reefs, seagrasses, mangroves, rocky shores, and coastal lagoons.

✔️ At least two of the top five sites with the highest fish richness (benthic fish grids) must be conserved.

✔️ At least two seabed areas with high records of benthic fauna diversity must be conserved.

✔️ Do not include stations with "Poor" category reports and, as far as possible, avoid stations with "Inadequate" category reports according to the Marine Water Quality Index.

✔️ The conserved area must be more than 100 meters away from roads and more than 150 meters away from urbanized areas.

✔️ The conserved area must be between 400 ha and a maximum of 2000 ha in size.

Feature:

✔️ A map of the proposed Marine Protected Area, which incorporates information on terrestrial and marine coverages, as well as roads.

✔️ A dashboard that provides an overview of the representativeness of each ecosystem within the protected area through a pie chart and a map, along with the area's size in hectares. The dashboard is designed to be both simple and visually appealing.

✔️ A geodatabase, containing three datasets: the first one includes layers and inputs used in the Marine Protected Area determination process, the second one consists of coverages and road layers, and the third one includes the proposed Marine Protected Area.

✔️ A justification for the Marine Protected Area's delimitation, along with conclusions regarding the usefulness of ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online for the project, as well as future recommendations.

Resources used:

ArcGIS Pro | ArcGIS Online

I'd love to hear from you!

If you have any question, comments, or suggestions, do not hesitate to contact me (melisa.s.rossi@gmail.com).