ID: 1712
Presenting Author: Mara Fehling
Session: 675 - Transparency to Trust: Communicating Complex Science and Data Effectively
Status: pending
An interactive story map visualises Guadalcanal’s (Solomon Islands) river data, boosting transparency, engagement, and informed freshwater governance.
During 2024, the Asian Development Bank supported a Strategic Environmental Assessment of rivers management on Guadalcanal in Solomon Islands, in collaboration with the Government (TA-10135-SOL). This SEA generated rich ecological, social, and governance data through eDNA sampling, stakeholder consultations, and geospatial analysis. To effectively communicate these findings, a web-based interactive story map was developed, transforming complex datasets into an engaging digital narrative.
The platform integrates full-screen satellite imagery with scroll-triggered, colour-coded thematic layers that visualise environmental pressures (logging, urban expansion, mining), biodiversity gradients, socio-economic vulnerability, and customary governance systems. Interactive features – e.g., animated species richness bubbles, river health scores, and dynamic basin highlights – guide users through the Pressure-State-Impact-Response framework, enabling exploration of each river’s ecological status and development challenges.
By grounding scientific insights in local realities– including customary land tenure and community dependence on river ecosystems – the map guides users through the complex interplay between development, biodiversity, and community well-being.
This digital storytelling approach showcases how modern science communication tools can amplify the impact of environmental assessments. It offers a replicable model for sharing multidisciplinary findings with clarity, relevance, and cultural sensitivity.
Mara Fehling is an Environmental Consultant at DDA Consulting focusing on environmental and social due diligence and impact assessment, with a particular focus on biodiversity and ecology.
Coauthor 1: Laura Steel Pascual
Coauthor 2: Darko Annandale
Coauthor 3: David Annandale
Coauthor 4: David Boseto