The GEM methodology (Google Earth Engine Mangrove Mapping Methodology) is an advanced tool designed to generate detailed mangrove distribution maps and assess changes in their extent over time. GEM was developed to address significant gaps in data availability for small-scale areas, responding to the marked lack of localized mapping resources for resource managers. Initially launched as a desktop version in 2020, this freely accessible, semi-automated tool leverages cloud storage and processing, relying on preprocessed data representing decades of multispectral satellite imagery. GEM users overcome challenges related to data access, processing, and software barriers, enabling them to produce precise, reliable, rapid, and locally relevant results.
In 2025, a mobile app version of GEM was released. This presentation will introduce the practical, hands-on portion of the event, where participants will receive training on using the new GEM app, as well as interpreting the results generated. The field demonstration will take place in and around actual mangroves along the Senegalese coastline.
Technical Advisor on Mangroves and Fisheries for West Africa at Blue Ventures, an organization committed to community-based marine conservation. Awa is also a doctoral candidate at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, where she is completing a thesis on effectiveness indicators for ecological mangrove restoration in Senegal.
Technical Advisor on Mangroves and Fisheries for West Africa at Blue Ventures, an organization committed to community-based marine conservation. Awa is also a doctoral candidate at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, where she is completing a thesis on effectiveness indicators for ecological mangrove restoration in Senegal.
Recently, Awa presented her work on ecological mangrove restoration at the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC), emphasizing the crucial role of mangrove resilience in the face of climate change impacts on coastal zones.
Technical Lead in Mangrove Science at Blue Ventures, based in Madagascar. Jaona is a specialist in mangrove ecology and carbon stock assessment, holding a Master’s degree in Ecology and Plant Biology from the University of Antananarivo, Madagascar.
With ten years of experience in mangrove conservation and restoration working closely with local communities, Jaona focuses particularly on the interactions between ecological processes and mangrove ecosystem dynamics at the local scale. He investigates how this knowledge can inform management, conservation, and restoration policies to ensure tangible ecological and social outcomes.
