A 2021 study by WWF found an area of forest totalling 43 million hectares – almost double the size of the UK – was wiped out in just 13 years across the world’s key deforestation hotspots.
Unsurprisingly, commercial agriculture was found to be the leading cause of deforestation. The Amazon rainforest is approaching a tipping point, where scientists fear losing a further 5% of area could lead to runaway climate change. Finding a solution is now a race against time.
Enter tech, stage right. Satellites and technology employed by governments and environmentalists to monitor tree removal can help facilitate change on the ground – but only if the information they gather can reach the right people.
Imagine a world where breathing is impossible. Life would simply not be sustainable. Our rainforests, often called the "lungs of the Earth," are crucial to maintaining the balance of our planet’s ecosystems. They convert carbon dioxide into oxygen, a process essential for life itself. Without these forests, we would cease to exist. Yet, this fact seems to be overlooked as commercial interests, alongside more harmful forces, continue to ravage these vital ecosystems.
Satellite technology is being used to help us to understand and quantify the effects of deforestation in real time. In 2021, the BBC reported that government and environmentalists have invested heavily in the use of satellite technology to monitor the removal of trees over the past 40 years.
That’s great, but merely counting trees without using the information to create meaningful change isn’t going to get us out of the mess we’re already in. Unfortunately, things have already gone too far. It’s going to take some dynamism to begin to turn back the clock. The article continues:
Governments in Brazil, Peru and Colombia have put in place a system of high-resolution deforestation alerts, but there is little evidence that this information reaches the indigenous communities most affected.
It’s bad enough deforestation affects the tree count, but that’s just one part of the picture. Native plants and animals, and the homes of indigenous communities are also directly impacted. Over 3,000 indigenous territories have been identified within the Amazon Biome.
A novel idea has been trialed that combines technological know-how with community engagement for a two-pronged approach to combat deforestation. It’s a beacon of hope when faced with the inevitable destruction and displacement ahead if things continue on their current, cataclysmic route. The BBC article explains:
Indigenous people living in the Peruvian Amazon were equipped by conservation groups with satellite data and smartphones. They were able to reduce tree losses by half in the first year of the project. In this randomised, controlled study, the authors identified 76 remote villages in the Peruvian Amazon, with 36 randomly-assigned to participate in this new monitoring programme.
Put simply, the initiative resembles a kind of Neighbourhood Watch for rainforest conservation. It has shown that community involvement can be a powerful tool in reducing illegal activities. When satellite data is shared with the right people, it can lead to tangible change.
It is estimated that if the community-based forest monitoring approach were scaled up and paired with stronger local governance, forest loss in the Amazon could be reduced by up to 20% across all indigenous lands.
Though the study was small, it yielded some promising results:
When the researchers examined the impact of the new approach, they found that deforestation dropped by 52% in the first year, and by 21% in the second. On average, those communities managed to avert 8.8 hectares of deforestation within the first year. But the communities that were most threatened, the ones that had more deforestation in the past were the ones pulling more weight and were reducing deforestation more than in others.
Importantly, the communities who are directly affected by deforestation in the Amazon welcomed the results of the peer-reviewed study, which was among the first of its kind to show the benefits of empowering local communities.
Currently, more than 60% of deforestation is caused by activities like mining, drilling, farming, and livestock grazing, while the remaining 40% is attributed to factors such as wildfires, urbanization, and certain forestry practices. Additionally, palm oil, which is found in a wide range of products from food to personal care items, plays a significant role in driving deforestation.
Given the numerous causes behind deforestation, addressing the issue requires a multifaceted and technologically advanced approach. While replanting efforts alone can’t keep pace with the ongoing habitat loss, new technologies are emerging to transform the planting process. One such innovation is the UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) system, which is gaining attention for its potential in reforestation.
According to BioFriendly Planet magazine, the UAV planting system uses machine learning software to automate the planting process. This technology is both cost-effective and highly efficient, with the capability of planting up to ten seeds per UAV per minute – potentially planting a billion trees annually!
In addition to its speed and affordability, the UAV system has several other advantages. Its mapping technology helps optimise planting success by improving seed uptake rates and promoting healthier forest growth. This benefit is not achievable through traditional land-based planting methods but is made possible through the precision of drone technology.
The drones themselves fire pods into the ground, each containing a pre-germinated seed surrounded by a nutritious hydro-gel. This gel ensures the seed has the ideal mineral environment and moisture needed to sprout successfully, making it a promising method for large-scale reforestation efforts.
It’s a great example of how we can use automation for the benefit of our environment. Where those trees are planted, it seems, is an important factor to consider too. As reported by the BBC:
According to a 2007 study that has been repeatedly confirmed, the best place to plant new trees is the tropics, where trees grow fastest and thus trap the most CO2. In contrast, planting trees in snowy regions near the poles is likely to cause a net warming, while planting them in temperate climates – like that of the UK, much of Europe and parts of the US – may have no net effect on climate.
These solutions, while innovative, don’t address the crux of the problem – the incessant demand for more resources than the earth can sustainably provide, while supporting life – but they can at least play a positive part in reducing that impact.
As rainforest activist Dorothy Stang is quoted as saying: “The death of the forest is the end of our lives.” It’s a sobering thought, one we can no longer ignore.
Comentários