10 April 2024
Jenny Williams
Senior Spatial Analyst
Department
Team
Spatial Analysis and Data Science
Specialism
Remote Sensing, Spatial Analysis, UAV, Species Distribution Models, Survey, Fieldwork, Satellite, Map, Geographic Information Systems, GIS, GPS, Drone, Image analysis, Madagascar
As the Senior Spatial Analyst, I am responsible for the day to day delivery of an efficient and effective Spatial Analysis Service for Kew Science, actively contributing to research and consultancy projects, as well as teaching and supervising Kew’s many MSc students including. The role is very diverse and utilizes many different spatial techniques and software products to achieve desired research outputs.
I have a broad experience in conducting vegetation mapping using remote sensing and GIS techniques, and have used my extensive spatial analysis skills to focus on species distribution models, such as the determination and assessment of current and future coffee forests in Ethiopia.
I have been applying my expertise to the global designation of Tropical Important Plant Areas, through habitat specific, spatially accurate, robust and defensible analyses which will also support conservation prioritisation.
My current research is focused on using UAV imagery in Madagascar to discover, assess and monitor deforestation and determine appropriate sites and methods for forest regeneration. We provide the communities the ability to feed themselves with nutritious yams in their house gardens throughout the 'hungry season' while they are also working with us to provide seedlings for forest restoration initiatives.
- Management Qualification (PMQ) 2017 - Association for Project Management, London, UK
- MA, Geography, San Diego State University, USA, 2005
- BSc, Geography, University of Sheffield, 1999
Cowell CR, Lughadha EN, Anderson PML, Leão T, Williams J, Annecke WA. 2023.
Prioritising species for monitoring in a South African protected area and the Red List for plants.
Biodiversity and Conservation. 32, 119–137.
Ralimanana H, Perrigo AL, Smith RJ, Borrell JS, Faurby S, Rajaonah MT, Randriamboavonjy T, Vorontsova MS, Cooke RSC, Phelps LN, et al. 2022.
Madagascar’s extraordinary biodiversity: Threats and opportunities.
Science 378: eadf1466.
Davis, A.P., Wilkinson, T., Challa, Z.K., Williams, J., Baena, S., Gole, T.W. & Moat, J. 2018.
Coffee Atlas of Ethiopia.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (UK).
Moat, J., Williams, J., Baena, S., Wilkinson, T., Gole, T.W., Challa, Z.K., Demissew, S., & Davis, A.P. (2017).
Resilience potential of the Ethiopian coffee sector under climate change.
Nature Plants 3: 17081 (2017). DOI: 10.1038/nplants.2017.81.
Upson, R., Williams, J. J., Wilkinson, T. P., Clubbe, C. P., Maclean, I. M. D., McAdam, J. H., & Moat, J. F. (2016)
Potential impacts of climate change on native plant distributions in the Falkland Islands
PLoS ONE 11(11), 1–20.
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Accelerating regeneration and providing alternative livelihoods in Madagascar’s dry forests
Understanding the effects of dry forest degradation and fires on biodiversity to inform accelerated forest restoration by local communities in Ankarafantsika National Park.
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Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia (UPFC)
Understanding Colombia’s useful plants and fungi to improve people’s livelihoods, reducing inequality and gender gap by boosting its bioeconomy through the sustainable use of its biodiversity.
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Building a climate resilient coffee economy for Ethiopia
Providing a climate-resilient strategy for coffee production in Ethiopia.
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Tropical Important Plant Areas (TIPAs) in Indonesian New Guinea
Identifying Tropical Important Plant Areas of New Guinea, Indonesia to protect socio-economically important plant species.
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Tropical Important Plant Areas (TIPAs) in Uganda
Identifying and promoting the long-term conservation and sustainable management of Uganda’s most important sites for plant diversity.
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Tropical Important Plant Areas (TIPAs) in Cameroon
Identifying and promoting the long-term conservation and sustainable management of Cameroon’s most important sites for plant diversity.
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Tropical Important Plant Areas (TIPAs) in the British Virgin Islands (BVI)
Identifying key sites for plant and habitat conservation in the British Virgin Islands (BVI).
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Tropical Important Plant Areas (TIPAs) in Bolivia
Identifying Tropical Important Plant Areas in the Chiquitano ecoregion of Bolivia and bordering Brazil.
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Tropical Important Plant Areas (TIPAs) in Mozambique
Identifying and promoting the long-term conservation and sustainable management of Mozambique’s most important sites for plant diversity.
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Tropical Important Plant Areas (TIPAs) in Guinea-Conakry
Identifying Tropical Important Plant Areas (TIPAs) of Guinea-Conakry, West Africa.
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Tropical Important Plant Areas (TIPAs) in Ethiopia
Identifying and documenting critical sites for plant diversity in Ethiopia.
