CIENPINOS Integrates Geospatial Tools to Strengthen Climate Governance in Cuba

• Twenty-six specialists from Cuban institutions strengthened their capacities in Geographic Information Systems to support sustainable agroforestry production and climate-informed decision-making.

As part of the activities of the project Municipal Climate Governance and Sustainable Agroforestry Food Production with Low Emissions and Climate Change Adaptation in Cienfuegos and Pinar del Río, Cuba (CIENPINOS), implemented by CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) and the Indio Hatuey Experimental Station, with funding from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the course "Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Their Application to Environmental Studies Using QGIS – Part 2" was held from July 12 to 18.

The training brought together 26 participants from the Indio Hatuey Experimental Station, the University of Cienfuegos, the University of Pinar del Río, and the Cienfuegos Meteorological Center, with the objective of strengthening their capacities in the use of geospatial tools applied to sustainable production and climate governance.

The course began with basic cartography concepts and progressed to the use of the open-source software QGIS. During the first sessions, participants learned how to navigate the program interface, load spatial layers, and apply basic symbology. They then completed practical geospatial analysis exercises to transform data into valuable information for territorial decision-making.

"A map is worth more than 100 images," said Dr. Minerva Sánchez Llull, lead instructor of the course and specialist at the Cienfuegos Center for Environmental Studies (CEAC), emphasizing the importance of ensuring that every cartographic element serves a specific purpose—from the selection of colors and symbols to the customization of layouts, legends, and scale bars.

The program included vector data management—covering key geoprocessing tools such as buffer, intersection, and union—and their application in a practical case study. Participants then explored raster data analysis to monitor vegetation health and carried out essential operations such as clipping and land-cover reclassification, fundamental tools for extracting valuable information from the landscape.

One of the course's most significant contributions was the introduction of QField, a mobile application that enables users to digitize points, lines, and polygons directly in the field. This tool will facilitate accurate land-use mapping, forest and grazing area monitoring, and resource optimization to support climate change mitigation and adaptation actions.

The teaching team consisted entirely of specialists from CEAC, led by Dr. Minerva Sánchez Llull, together with Ana Flavia Roldán Ramos and Gabriel Alejandro Fajardo Pérez. The course concluded with the development of thematic maps, through which participants applied the knowledge acquired to produce cartographic products ready for export at the appropriate resolution and format for any communication medium.

Through initiatives such as this, the CIENPINOS Project continues to promote knowledge exchange among academic, technical, and productive institutions, strengthening local capacities for low-emission agriculture and improved climate governance in Cuba. In doing so, CATIE and the Indio Hatuey Experimental Station reaffirm their commitment to generating and transferring knowledge that contributes to the sustainable development of territories.