Training sessions

Four training sessions were organised prior to the start of the conference. The trainings took place at the Universidad Católica del Norte.

The trainings were free for all conference attendees and pre-registration to attend the trainings was required. Discover below all the details about the training sessions.

• ARIES: Ecosystem services modelling empowered by Artificial Intelligence
• Participatory Community Monitoring of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services: The Latin American and Caribbean Context
• Assessment of Ecosystem Services with IMECOGIP-toolbox
• Copernicus for Ecosystem Vulnerability Assessment in Central & South America

Below you can find the overview of all trainings:

ARIES: Ecosystem services modelling empowered by Artificial Intelligence

Organised by: Alba Marquez Torres

Capacity of the group: maximum 15 people

Duration: 2 hours, from 9:30 to 11:30 Chilean time

Format: on-site only

Language: Spanish

Room: Sala Conferencia Escuela de Ciencias Empresariales

ARIES (https://aries.integratedmodelling.org) is an open-source tool developed by the BC3 Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3), in Spain, based on k.LAB technology: software based on artificial intelligence (AI). The k-LAB technology is accessible through the web, and for the first time, it builds new knowledge based on the integration of existing ones.

Based on AI, ARIES has automated the integration of data and models to deliver transparent and FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) assembly of data and reports quickly and economically. ARIES is capable of producing from simple to more complex, scalable and customizable models. The models are fed with both global and local data of any spatial-temporal scale.

The technical training workshop has three objectives: i) introduce the use of semantics and artificial intelligence in modelling; ii) present the capacity of the ARIES tool for both scientists and land managers; and iii) carry out a practical case applying the tool for ecosystem services modelling. The course will use k.Explorer, a web browser-based user interface that provides an easy way to access the ARIES models and data network. The k.Explorer interface is currently used by entities such as the United Nations to account for ecosystem services.

Participatory Monitoring of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services: The Latin American and Caribbean Context

Organised by: Albaluz Ramos Franco, Member of the Executive Committee Young Ecosystem Services Specialist (YESS Network)

Capacity of the group: Minimum 10; no maximum limit.

Duration: 4 hours, from 9:00 to 13:00 Chilean time

Format: Face-to-face only

Language: Spanish

Room: Sala TEAL de Escuela de Ingeniería

Requirements for participants: Notebook and pencil

Target group: Young researchers and academics working with rural, peasant, ethnic, afro-descendant, etc. communities.

Traditional and centuries-old disciplines such as botany or zoology have undermined the confidence of local communities in the development of their research, the scenario usually goes like this: A group of scientists arrives to their territories, obtains the data for their projects (including ancestral knowledge) and returns to the city to publish (in some cases to patent) and continue advancing in their personal careers; but the locals do not have access to this "new" knowledge, and neither are the results socialised, and even less are they used to improve their quality of life or to make informed decisions. These practices have been called "scientific neo-colonialism" or "knowledge extractivism".

The reactions of some organised populations have been to carry out their own research on biodiversity and the environment, based on information available on the web, using university extension programmes, among others, in order to install capacities in their members and in this way obtain first-hand data that will allow them to strengthen the governance of their territories (e.g. before the arrival of energy and infrastructure megaprojects), increase risk management (e.g. before floods or droughts), and also to take advantage of products and subproducts of species on a small scale.

In the Latin American context, this neo-colonialism is intensified by the political positions of neoliberal governments, which facilitate the arrival of investments in territories with very high rates of diversity and ecosystem services that cannot be accounted for in monetary terms.

Objectives of the training:

• To share general notions of what Participatory Community Monitoring (MCP) means, what, how and what for through theory and fun.
• To generate a space to share advances and significant experiences in participatory science exercises developed by rural, indigenous, Afro-descendant, ethnic, etc. communities, in which Early Career Researchers (ECR) are advisors and accompaniers.
• Re-evaluate the role of the Ecosystem Services discipline in reducing the science-society gap, rather than just making explicit the contributions of nature to people.
• Discuss the potential of participatory community monitoring in solving environmental conflicts and improving the quality of life of rural, indigenous, Afro-descendant, ethnic, etc. communities.

Topics:

1. MCP background and geographical and historical context
2. Theoretical bases vs. experiences in practice
3. Practical session
4. Closing discussion

Assessment of Ecosystem Services with IMECOGIP-toolbox

Organised by: Malte Bührs & Lars Gruenhagen

Capacity of the group: maximum 20 people

Duration: 4 hours, from 9:00 to 13:00 Chilean time

Format: on-site only

Language: English

Room: Salón Auditorio de la Escuela de Ingeniería

Requirements for attendees: Notebook device connected to the Internet, Pre-Installation of QGIS 3.22.14 or later.

Ahead of conference, we will provide sample datasets to participants, which have to be downloaded in advance of the course.

Target group: Experts from science and public administrations with basic QGIS knowledge interested in tools to quantitatively assess multiple Ecosystem Services in a spatially explicit way.

As a carrier of multiple ecosystem services (ES), green infrastructure (GI) can significantly foster the resilience of dense urban areas worldwide. Facing challenges such as climate change and rapid urbanization, recognizing the mitigation capabilities, GI plays a key role in managing sustainable landscapes and in urban planning.

Therefore, the aim of IMECOGIP is to develop an innovative bundle of methods (GIS toolbox) to support green infrastructure planning in densely populated urban areas. The toolbox is easily adaptable and customizable to users’ needs. Furthermore, by taking into account various spatial scales and input datasets, it emerges as a basic tool for assessing ES in urban spatial planning. Designed as an open-source tool set developed for QGIS3, the IMECOGIP-toolbox enables scientists and practitioners to quantitatively assess multiple Ecosystem Services based on the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES) scheme by Haines-Young & Potschin (2018). The IMECOGIP project (https://www.sustainable-urban-regions.org/project/imecogip/) itself catalyzes the scientific expertise from various disciplines and research areas (urban ecology, landscape architecture, biogeography, geomatics, urban governance and sociology) and systematically targets current methodological deficits of an integrated assessment of individual ecosystem services (ES). Originally based on pilot projects in Germany and China, IMECOGIP recently expanded to Latin America with case studies e.g. in Bogotá and Puerto Natales.

Objectives of the workshop:

This hands-on workshop:

• Gives insights into ES assessment methods by applying several tools included in IMECOGIP-toolbox
• Targets the preconditions, requirements and possibilities for quantitative ES assessments
• Uses a case study for self-tryout to practically show the capabilities of IMECOGIP- toolbox for spatially explicit ES assessment

Afterwards all participant will be able to independently apply the IMECOGIP-toolbox on their own projects to assess and evaluate Ecosystem Services.

Copernicus for Ecosystem Vulnerability Assessment in Central & South America

Organised by: Alessandra Nguyen Xuan & Emiliana Valentini

Supporting staff: Francesco Menniti & Sara Liburdi
Link: https://uniroma1.zoom.us/j/85757849699
ID meeting: 857 5784 9699

Capacity of the group: maximum 20 people 

Duration: 2.5 hours from 9:00-11:30 Chilean time

Format: hybrid

Language: English

Room: Salón Auditorio de la Escuela de Ingeniería

Requirements for attendees: Notebook  

Ahead of the conference, we will provide sample datasets to participants, which have to be downloaded in advance of the course along with installation instructions for SNAP and QGIS softwares

Target group: Experts from science and public administrations with basic QGIS knowledge interested in tools to quantitatively assess multiple Ecosystem Services in a spatially explicit way.

The general aim of this training session is to provide information and training on the use of the services, information, and data produced and made available by the European Copernicus Programme, along with the knowledge and tools needed for this purpose, such as basic remote sensing and geo-information principles and GIS.

The training session will be a combination of training and informational session using Copernicus data and services, providing a double opportunity for users in Central and South America to learn. The first part of the session (20 minutes) will consist of describing the Copernicus framework and a general conceptual model for ecosystem vulnerability assessment. The next 2 hours will be dedicated to hands-on training to produce Copernicus derived products useful for ecosystem vulnerability assessment. Copernicus optical and radar data and products will be used in a user-friendly set of showcases and demos using Geographical Information Systems (GIS).

Objectives of the training:

This hands-on training:

• Introduce techniques to determine land use changes (i.e., FCover) showing study cases
• Enhance uptake of Copernicus Users
• Determine requirement collections

The specific objective is to deal with the presence and distribution of green vegetation cover pattern investigating cause-effect phenomena at the land/atmosphere interface, estimating primary production rates as part of global carbon and water cycle assessments and evaluating soil protection and land use change over time. The fraction of green vegetation cover (FCover) as estimated from satellite observations has already been demonstrated to be an extraordinarily useful product for understanding vegetation cover changes, for supporting ecosystem service assessments over areas with variable extents and for processes spanning a variable period of time (from short-term to long-term processes). The use of Fcover, as well other parameters like Leaf Area Index LAI or Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FAPAR), derived from multispectral and multisensor data could be considered as an Essential Biodiversity Variable (EBV) for detecting gentle and abrupt changes due to natural and anthropogenic hazards.

The imagery produced by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission, a twin optical remote sensing satellite constellation characterized by high spatial, temporal, and spectral resolutions, has been increasingly employed for landcover monitoring applications since its launch by the European Space Agency (ESA) in 2015, as it offers a higher temporal and spatial resolution relative to Landsat missions. In addition, other information useful for landcover mapping and monitoring, e.g., crop mapping and forest monitoring, could be derived by Sentinel 1 C-band sensor, launched in 2014.

 

If you are interested in holding a pre-conference training on your topic of expertise, preferably on-site, please email luis.inostroza@mendelu.cz and dolf.degroot@fsd.nl with your proposal.