Topic: Establishing and Managing Marine Protected Areas

Speaker: Lindy Knowles

Lindy Knowles is a conservation ecologist who has primarily worked in The Bahamas as a technical officer at the Bahamas National Trust’s Science & Policy division collecting in situ data to help to ensure that the protected areas are managed through science-driven conservation. Lindy works towards the expansion and effective management of the protected areas system of The Bahamas, collaborating with and leading teams that survey reef, mangrove and seagrass to determine health, and using GIS technology to map boundaries and visualize field data to support the work being done in communities to ensure that vulnerable areas and species are considered within a protected area system. As head of the GIS Unit, Lindy is responsible for implementing innovative technology into the organization to help increase management effectiveness. He has collected imagery using drones and underwater cameras that are processed to create models of terrestrial and marine environments which have been used in the creation of habitat classes via remote sensing, as well as 3D models showing elevation on land and depths of the sea below. This work has led to the expansion of the marine protected area (MPA) system as part of The Bahamas’ goal of protecting 20% of its nearshore environment. Lindy earned a M. Phil. in Conservation Leadership from the University of Cambridge and M.Sc. in Natural Resource and Environmental Management in a Coastal and Marine Environment from the University of the West Indies at Cave Hill. 

K-12 Resources: Extension Activities