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DIN's action and focus has been largely dictated by socio-economic and ethno-botanic research. The results of which have shown a close correlation between poverty, hunger and environmental degradation. It raised concern about the loss of bio-diversity and traditional knowledge. It also highlighted the important contribution of women in deforestation, food security and income generation. This information has been used to develop projects aimed to address poverty and deforestation.
The Research, Documentation and Policy Unit
DIN also identified that to have a greater impact at village level, this research must also have an impact at the macro-level, influencing policy and governance. With this in mind, DIN established the Research, Documentation and Policy Unit (RDPU). The goal of the RDPU is to contribute to policy debate and review for the sustainable management of Natural Resources in Cross River State. Review of Government policies on forest and land use will complement and be supported by field-based research over next three years. This will be achieved primarily using participatory rural appraisal and participatory action research methods.
Support to Community Groups
The RDPU also aims to provide technical assistance to community groups, CBO's and other NGO's and government institutions toward the goal of building a sustainable natural resources management network in the area.
Monitoring Impact and Effectiveness
Using participatory monitoring and evaluation methods, the RDPU will also monitor and document DIN's impact in the field, measuring effectiveness and ensuring the link between research and action is not lost.
Geographic Information System (GIS) Capacity
The RDPU also has a significant GIS capability which when fully developed will enable us to monitor vegetation change in the endangered montane and lowland tropical forests. When fully developed DIN's GIS capability will be used to integrate social and environmental research data generated through through field research with remotely sensed data. This will provide us with the capacity to monitor changes over time, particularly in areas of interest such as vegetation and societal changes, poverty level, conservation value, hydrological capacity and biodiversity.
At present RDPU has the following software packages; ArcView GIS 3.2a (with support extensions for image and spatial analysis), Edrisi for windows for data capture and analysis and ILWIS (Integrated Land and Water Information System).
Although we have technical capacity, the unit is currently limited in its function due to limited resources and equipment. There is a identified need for a large sized plotter (A0 or A1) as well as a digitizing tablet.
View the notes from a GIS workshop conducted by DIN for NGO's and government agencies in Calabar (December 2002).
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