The West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Land-use (WASCAL CCLU) at the College of Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), has organised a four-day hands-on training workshop on remote sensing to strengthen biodiversity conservation efforts.

The workshop, held under the theme “Remote sensing for biodiversity conservation”, forms part of the Earth Observation Capacity Building for Africa (EOCap4Africa) project. It was funded by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV).

Remote sensing, which involves the use of satellites, drones, and aircraft to monitor the earth, enables the detection of environmental changes at scales impossible to achieve from the ground. Experts likened its impact to medical imaging, which allows doctors to examine the human body without invasive procedures.

Dr Insa Otte, Coordinator of EOCap4Africa, told participants that biodiversity protection was a matter of survival. “Every policy decision, economic investment and land use change affects the diversity of life and everyone as well,” he said. He added that remote sensing could make these impacts visible and called for stronger links between science and society.

He stressed that technology alone could not solve problems, noting: “We need people who are trained, motivated and equipped to use these tools. The teaching module is designed to build the capacity of participants and to give students and researchers the skills to access, analyse and apply remote sensing data for biodiversity conservation.”

Professor Kwaku Amaning Adjei, Dean of the Faculty of Civil and Geo-Engineering at KNUST, observed that Ghana’s ecosystems were under severe threat. “Our forests, wetlands, savannahs, and coastlines were home to an extraordinary diversity of life. Yet, these ecosystems and their services face threats from illegal mining, climate change, and urban expansion,” he warned. He added that technologies such as satellite imagery and unmanned aerial vehicles offered effective tools for monitoring changes in land cover, tracking species habitats, and assessing water quality.