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Geneviève Ndjiki, Action for Sustainable Development

Data is Helping Protect Threatened Forests and Biodiversity in Cameroon’s Mengamé Gorilla Sanctuary

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<p>Cameroon has very rich biological diversity, housed within several ecosystems that are representative of the ecosystems of Africa — the reason Cameroon is often described as “Africa in miniature.” The nation's biological diversity underpins its economy and has scientific and medicinal importance for Cameroon’s people.</p>



<p>In order to meet its commitments to protect the environment after the <a href="https://www.un.org/en/conferences/environment/rio1992" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development</a>, and consequently its commitment to the Convention on Biological Diversity, objective 11 of Cameroon’s <a href="https://www.cbd.int/doc/world/cm/cm-nbsap-v2-en.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan</a> calls for at least 30% of the national territory to be designated as protected areas, which aim to protect nature and biodiversity from human activities and pressures.</p>



<p>To this end, several protected areas (national parks, reserves, etc.) were established, including the Mengamé Gorilla Sanctuary. This sanctuary faces several threats including the loss of forest cover, which leads to fragmentation of the habitat found there.</p>



<p>Our organization, Action for Sustainable Development, works to respond to the increasing threat of deforestation in Mengamé. In 2023, we received a Global Forest Watch (GFW) Small Grants Fund (SGF) grant to help us monitor forests in the sanctuary. We found that forest loss over the last three years is increasing, and that a new management plan for the sanctuary based on better data is needed to protect the sanctuary’s forests and the biodiversity that depends on them.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>The Mengamé Gorilla Sanctuary</strong></h2>



<p>The Mengamé Gorilla Sanctuary (MGS) belongs to the Tri-national Dja-Odzala-Minkébé (TRIDOM) complex, a cross-border area encompassing 10% of the Congo Basin’s rainforests and 11 protected areas across Cameroon, Congo and Gabon. TRIDOM is a key area for the conservation of the biodiversity of the Congo Basin, including iconic large mammals such as elephants, chimpanzees and gorillas. The MGS is located in the equatorial forest zone in the southern part of Cameroon on the border with Gabon. It covers 26,780 hectares and straddles the districts of Mvangan in Mvila subdivision and Oveng district in Dja-et Lobo subdivision. The MGS is home to a diversity of wildlife including primates like the Western Lowland Gorilla, which is critically endangered due to human activities that have intensified over the years, such as deforestation leading to loss of habitat as well as poaching.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Mengame-2048x1448.png" alt="" class="wp-image-17782"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>The area occupied by the MGS in the two districts (Mvangan and Oveng). Both these districts have several small villages surrounding the sanctuary.</em></figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Satellite data reveals increasing loss of the sanctuary's forest cover</strong></h2>



<p>Action for Sustainable Development (ASD), a Cameroonian civil society organization, has been able to use the tools available from GFW to conduct satellite monitoring of forest cover change in protected areas. As part of our SGF project “Participatory monitoring of forest cover in and around the MGS,” we used GFW’s near-real-time integrated deforestation alerts to identify areas of forest loss, and supported park agents and others in the community to use GFW tools to investigate the alerts.</p>



<p>We analyzed alerts for two time periods over three years (2021-2023) and found that for the first period, from January 1, 2021 to July 20, 2022, more than 937 deforestation alerts were recorded totaling eight hectares of forest loss. The map below shows the distribution of these alerts in the two districts (896 alerts in the part of the sanctuary located in the Mvangan district and 41 alerts in the part of the sanctuary located in the Oveng district).</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Mengame-final1-2048x1448.png" alt="" class="wp-image-17784"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>Map showing deforestation alerts in the MGS between January 1, 2021 and July 20, 2022.</em></figcaption></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/MGS-field-deployment-ASD.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-17751"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>Field deployment of a mixed team (ecoguards and community) to identify the causes of deforestation alerts. Credit: ASD</em></figcaption></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/MGS-field-deployment-2-ASD.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-17752"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>Field deployment of a mixed team (ecoguards and ASD) to identify the causes of deforestation alerts. Credit: ASD</em></figcaption></figure>



<p>Likewise, for the second period between July 21, 2022 and December 31, 2023, more than 1,436 deforestation alerts were recorded, including 1,292 in the part of the sanctuary located in the Mvangan district and 144 in the part of the sanctuary located in the Oveng district. The total of these deforestation alerts represents a loss of 17 hectares of forest.</p>



<p>The Mengamé gorilla sanctuary has therefore already lost nearly 25 hectares of forest in just three years from 2021 to 2023. These findings indicate that, over time, anthropogenic activity is increasing in the sanctuary. Investigations carried out to determine the main causes of this loss of forest cover showed that this has been caused by the establishment or extension of agricultural plots (cocoa and banana plantations). This pressure is growing due to the increase in the price of cocoa on the international market — and cocoa is the main cash crop in this area. If nothing is done, the sanctuary will be severely depleted and degraded the next several years.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Mengame-final2-2048x1448.png" alt="" class="wp-image-17785"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>Deforestation alerts in the Mengamé gorilla sanctuary between July 21, 2022 and December 31, 2023.</em></figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>To protect the sanctuary, a new management plan is needed</strong></h2>



<p>To understand the motivations or reasons that lead local communities to set up their cocoa plantations and others in the sanctuary, our team conducted a survey as part of our project.</p>



<p>Two major reasons were mentioned by local communities to justify their actions:</p>



<p>The first reason is the lack of collaboration between local communities and conservation services. Indeed, 38% of the population thinks that they are not involved in the management of the sanctuary. There is almost no conservation activity within the sanctuary or ecotourism, appearing to local communities to have been abandoned for several years. Thus, they thought that the sanctuary was no longer a priority for the State. Our project has since succeeded in bringing together local communities, the conservation service and civil society organizations as part of a more participatory monitoring of the sanctuary.</p>



<p>The second reason is the fact that the space dedicated to the communities' rural activities is becoming insufficient. 22% of local communities believe that the area dedicated to their activities is becoming insufficient given the rapid population growth. Yet despite these changes, the development and management plan for the sanctuary, which should be renewed every five years to better take into account the realities of all stakeholders, has not been updated since 2007. This plan provides information about the sanctuary based on uses, priorities, threats and more, but not only is it out of date, it is also based partially on data from the neighboring Kom National Park as there is insufficient data on the sanctuary itself. Furthermore, the demarcation of the boundaries of the sanctuary had not been effective in all the riverside villages, and currently the boundaries that had been demarcated are no longer visible.</p>



<p>Therefore, development of a new management plan for the sanctuary is needed. This plan should:</p>



<ul>
<li>Take into account the increase in population and suggest effective ways for the development of alternative income-generating activities for local communities</li>



<li>Place emphasis on promoting ecotourism by developing infrastructure for this purpose</li>



<li>Involve local communities in the participatory management of the sanctuary</li>



<li>Provide updated data on biodiversity (fauna and flora species present and their densities, etc.)</li>



<li>Place emphasis on transboundary management of the sanctuary</li>
</ul>



<p>The MGS’s forests and the valuable biodiversity that depends on them can still be protected if the sanctuary implements a plan and manages the sanctuary based on recent, accurate data. The data collected by ASD using GFW tools is an important part of this and can help us preserve Mengamé Gorilla Sanctuary for years to come.</p>



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<p><em>Learn more about ASD: Visit </em><a href="https://www.asd.contact/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>their website</em></a><em> and follow them on </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ASDCameroun" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, </em><a href="https://twitter.com/asdcameroun" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Twitter/X</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/action-for-sustainable-development-asd/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>LinkedIn</em></a><em>.</em>&nbsp;</p>



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<p>Le Cameroun possède une diversité biologique très riche, hébergée dans plusieurs écosystèmes représentatifs des écosystèmes africains – raison pour laquelle le Cameroun est souvent décrit comme « l’Afrique en miniature ». La diversité biologique du pays soutient son économie et revêt une importance scientifique et médicinale pour la population camerounaise.</p>



<p>Afin de respecter ses engagements en matière de protection de l’environnement après la <a href="mailto:https://www.un.org/fr/conferences/environment/rio1992" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Conférence des Nations Unies sur l’environnement et le développement en 1992</a>, et par conséquent son engagement envers la Convention sur la diversité biologique, l’objectif 11 de la <a href="https://www.cbd.int/doc/world/cm/cm-nbsap-v2-en.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stratégie nationale et du plan d’action pour la biodiversité</a> du Cameroun prévoit qu’au moins 30% du territoire national soient désignés comme aires protégées, destinées à protéger la nature et la biodiversité des activités et pressions humaines.</p>



<p>À cet effet, plusieurs aires protégées (parcs nationaux, réserves, etc.) ont été créées, parmi lesquels le Sanctuaire à gorilles de Mengamé. Ce sanctuaire fait face à plusieurs menaces dont la perte du couvert forestier, qui entraîne une fragmentation de l’habitat qui s’y trouve.</p>



<p>Notre organisation, Action for Sustainable Development, s’efforce de répondre à la menace croissante de déforestation à Mengamé. En 2023, nous avons reçu une subvention du Fonds de petites subventions (SGF) de Global Forest Watch (GFW) pour nous aider à surveiller les forêts du sanctuaire. Nous avons constaté que la perte de forêt au cours des trois dernières années est en augmentation et qu’un nouveau plan de gestion du sanctuaire basé sur de meilleures données est nécessaire pour protéger les forêts du sanctuaire et la biodiversité qui en dépend.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Le sanctuaire à gorilles de Mengamé </strong><strong></strong></h2>



<p>Le Sanctuaire à Gorilles de Mengamé (SGM) fait partie du complexe trinational Dja-Odzala-Minkébé (TRIDOM), une zone transfrontalière englobant 10 % des forêts tropicales du bassin du Congo et 11 aires protégées au Cameroun, au Congo et au Gabon. Le TRIDOM est une zone clé pour la conservation de la biodiversité du bassin du Congo, notamment des grands mammifères emblématiques tels que les éléphants, les chimpanzés et les gorilles. Le SGM est situé dans la zone de forêt équatoriale dans la partie Sud du Cameroun à la frontière avec le Gabon. Il couvre 26 780 ha et chevauche les districts de Mvangan dans l'arrondissement de la Mvila et le district d'Oveng dans l'arrondissement du Dja-et Lobo. Le SGM abrite une faune diversifiée, notamment des primates comme le gorille des plaines de l'Ouest, qui est en danger critique d'extinction en raison des activités humaines qui se sont intensifiées au fil des ans, telles que la déforestation entraînant la perte de l’habitat, ainsi que le braconnage.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Mengame-2048x1448.png" alt="" class="wp-image-17782"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>La zone occupée par le SGM dans les deux districts (Mvangan et Oveng). Ces deux districts comptent plusieurs petits villages entourant le sanctuaire.</em></figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Les données satellitaires révèlent une perte croissante du couvert forestier du sanctuaire</strong></h2>



<p>Action for Sustainable Development (ASD), une organisation de la société civile camerounaise, a pu utiliser les outils mis à disposition par GFW pour effectuer un suivi satellitaire de l’évolution du couvert forestier dans les aires protégées. Dans le cadre de notre projet SGF « Suivi participatif du couvert forestier dans et autour du SGM », nous avons utilisé les alertes de déforestation intégrées en temps quasi réel de GFW pour identifier les zones de perte de forêt, et avons aidé les écogardes du parc et d’autres membres de la communauté à utiliser les outils du GFW pour enquêter sur les alertes.</p>



<p>Nous avons analysé les alertes sur deux périodes pendant trois ans (2021-2023) et constaté que pour la première période, du 1er janvier 2021 au 20 juillet 2022, plus de 937 alertes de déforestation ont été enregistrées totalisant huit hectares de perte du couvert forestier. La carte ci-dessous montre la répartition de ces alertes dans les deux districts (896 alertes dans la partie du sanctuaire située dans le district de Mvangan et 41 alertes dans la partie du sanctuaire située dans le district d'Oveng).</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Mengame-final1-2048x1448.png" alt="" class="wp-image-17784"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>Carte montrant les alertes de déforestation dans le SGM entre le 1er janvier 2021 et le 20 juillet 2022.</em></figcaption></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/MGS-field-deployment-ASD.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-17751"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>Déploiement sur le terrain d'une équipe mixte (écogardes et communauté) pour identifier les causes des alertes de déforestation.</em></figcaption></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/MGS-field-deployment-2-ASD.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-17752"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>Déploiement sur le terrain d'une équipe mixte (écogardes et ASD) pour identifier les causes des alertes de déforestation.</em></figcaption></figure>



<p>De même, pour la deuxième période entre le 21 juillet 2022 et le 31 décembre 2023, plus de 1 436 alertes de déforestation ont été enregistrées, dont 1 292 dans la partie du sanctuaire située dans le district de Mvangan et 144 dans la partie du sanctuaire située dans le district d’Oveng. Le total de ces alertes de déforestation représente une perte de 17 hectares de forêt.</p>



<p>Le sanctuaire à gorilles de Mengamé a donc déjà perdu près de 25 hectares de forêt en seulement trois ans, de 2021 à 2023. Ces résultats indiquent qu’au fil du temps, l’activité anthropique augmente dans le sanctuaire. Les investigations menées pour déterminer les principales causes de cette perte du couvert forestier ont montré que celle-ci est due à l’implantation ou à l’extension des parcelles agricoles (cacaoyères et bananeraies). Cette pression s’accroît en raison de l’augmentation du prix du cacao sur le marché international – et le cacao est la principale culture de rente dans cette zone. Si rien n’est fait, le sanctuaire sera gravement appauvri et dégradé dans les prochaines années.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Mengame-final2-2048x1448.png" alt="" class="wp-image-17785"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>Alertes de déforestation dans le sanctuaire à gorilles de Mengamé entre le 21 juillet 2022 et le 31 décembre 2023.</em></figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Pour protéger le sanctuaire, un nouveau plan d’aménagement est nécessaire</strong></h2>



<p>Pour comprendre les motivations ou les raisons qui poussent les communautés locales à installer leurs plantations de cacao et d'autres dans le sanctuaire, notre équipe a mené une enquête dans le cadre de notre projet.</p>



<p>Deux raisons majeures ont été évoquées par les communautés locales pour justifier leurs actions :</p>



<p>La première raison est le manque de collaboration entre les communautés locales et les services de la conservation. En effet, 38% de la population pense ne pas être impliquée dans la gestion du sanctuaire. Il n’y a quasiment aucune activité de conservation au sein du sanctuaire ni d’écotourisme, ce qui donne aux communautés locales l’impression d’être abandonnées depuis plusieurs années. Ainsi, elles pensaient que le sanctuaire n’était plus une priorité pour l’État. Notre projet a ainsi réussi à réunir les communautés locales, le service de la conservation et les organisations de la société civile dans le cadre d’un suivi plus participatif du sanctuaire.</p>



<p>La deuxième raison est le fait que l’espace dédié aux activités rurales des communautés devient insuffisant. 22 % des communautés locales estiment que la surface dédiée à leurs activités devient insuffisante compte tenu de la croissance rapide de la population. Pourtant, malgré ces changements, le plan d’aménagement et de gestion du sanctuaire, qui devrait être renouvelé tous les 5 ans pour mieux prendre en compte les réalités de toutes les parties prenantes, n’a pas été mis à jour depuis 2007. Ce plan fournit des informations sur le sanctuaire en fonction des usages, des priorités, des menaces, etc., non seulement il est obsolète, mais il se base également en partie sur les données du parc national voisin de Kom, car il n’existe pas suffisamment de données sur le sanctuaire lui-même. De plus, la délimitation des limites du sanctuaire n’a pas été effective dans tous les villages riverains, et actuellement les limites qui avaient été matérialisées ne sont plus visibles.</p>



<p>Il est donc nécessaire d'élaborer un nouveau plan de gestion pour le sanctuaire. Ce plan devrait :</p>



<ul>
<li>Prendre en compte l’augmentation de la population et proposer des moyens efficaces pour le développement d’activités alternatives génératrices de revenus pour les communautés locales</li>



<li>Mettre l’accent sur la promotion de l’écotourisme en développant des infrastructures à cet effet</li>



<li>Impliquer les communautés locales dans la gestion participative du sanctuaire</li>



<li>Fournir des données actualisées sur la biodiversité (espèces de faune et de flore présentes et leurs densités, etc.)</li>



<li>Mettre l’accent sur la gestion transfrontalière du sanctuaire</li>
</ul>



<p>Les forêts du SGM et la précieuse biodiversité qui en dépend peuvent encore être protégées si le sanctuaire met en œuvre un plan et gère le sanctuaire sur la base de données récentes et précises. Les données collectées par ASD à l’aide des outils du GFW constituent une partie importante de cette démarche et peuvent nous aider à préserver le sanctuaire à gorilles de Mengamé pour les années à venir.</p>



<p></p>



<p><em>Apprenez-en davantage sur ASD : <a href="https://www.asd.contact/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Visitez leur site Web</a> et suivez-les sur <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ASDCameroun" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/asdcameroun" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Twitter/X</a> et <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/action-for-sustainable-development-asd/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">LinkedIn</a>.</em></p>



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Les données aident à protéger les forêts menacées et la biodiversité dans le sanctuaire à gorilles de Mengamé au Cameroun

Action for Sustainable Development is using GFW tools to respond to increasing deforestation in Cameroon's Mengamé Gorilla Sanctuary.

Data is Helping Protect Cameroon’s Mengamé Gorilla Sanctuary

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Isabela Barriga

<p><em>“We are part of nature and nature lives in coexistence. Everything is interconnected and everything depends on each other … If we don’t work collaboratively and in a connected way, we sure won’t be able to move forward.” </em>– Tatiana Espinosa, President of ARBIO Perú ACOMAD – Madre De Dios, and a member of the Amazonía Que Late Network</p>



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<p>Deep in the Amazon, volunteers from the Voluntary and Communal Conservation Network of San Martin receive a deforestation alert in <a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/help/forest-watcher/">Forest Watcher</a>: the forest monitoring app shows an <a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/blog/data-and-research/integrated-deforestation-alerts/">alert</a> detecting a disturbance in a monitored area. The volunteers arrive by various means — from small boat, motorcycle, or horseback to endless walking — to an area that has been cleared, illegally. Within the Forest Watcher app, they document a report and capture evidence of the impact. Network volunteers alert the local authorities who launch an official investigation.</p>



<p>Guardians of the forest in San Martín, Peru, use Global Forest Watch’s (GFW) data and technologies such as Forest Watcher daily to monitor forests, prevent deforestation and defend biodiversity. <a href="https://ampaperu.info/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Amazónicos por la Amazonía</a> (AMPA) — a nonprofit organization committed to conserving Peru’s natural and cultural heritage and improving the sustainable development of the people of the Andean Amazon, and a GFW Small Grants Fund recipient — works with allies such as conservation concession holders from the San Martin Network to monitor and patrol forest areas (conservation and ecotourism concessions are public forest areas where legal management rights are granted to groups such as NGOs, like AMPA, that are organized by the civil society of the communities that voluntarily conserve the forests).</p>



<p>AMPA works with local communities and authorities to carry out joint actions to verify deforestation and raise awareness of environmental crimes. Since 2017, they actively monitored forest loss in the regions of San Martín, Loreto and Ucayali — an area that totals over 900,000 hectares. Through this work, they provided the San Martin network with a space to connect and collaborate on the conservation of the forest lands that were assigned to them for management and protection.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Leveraging GFW tools to build forest monitoring capacity</h2>



<p>AMPA is a four-time recipient of the GFW <a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/grants-and-fellowships/projects/">Small Grants Fund</a> (SGF), which provides financial and technical assistance to organizations to monitor and respond to deforestation. AMPA’s projects aim to pair local knowledge with a more robust use of GFW data and tools to improve the response capacity and awareness of environmental crimes in Peru’s San Martin region. During their projects, AMPA has trained volunteers on how to use tools like GFW data and the Forest Watcher app.</p>



<p>GFW’s partnership with AMPA started in 2017 during their first year as a SGF grantee. AMPA used GFW data and tools to implement a control and surveillance system within the conservation initiatives in the San Martin Network.</p>



<p>“Associations that protect forests use [GFW] as part of their surveillance and control systems, allowing them to organize patrol watches, tours and identify areas according to the degree of threat and vulnerability,” explained Jorge Fachín, Director of the Forest Program, Conservation and Monitoring of AMPA</p>



<p>GFW tools and monitoring equipment help AMPA improve forest monitoring activities of the volunteer network by enabling them to lead patrols more easily and rapidly. The use of drones and mobile apps like Forest Watcher help the volunteers collect sufficient information to carry out field activities with authorities, collect necessary information and evidence, and generate patrol reports.</p>



<p>Over the course of several SGF projects, AMPA worked with conservation networks in the Peruvian Amazon, including San Martin to use GFW solutions and develop&nbsp;their monitoring capacity, evolving each project based on lessons learned from their previous work. This involved the use and management of deforestation alerts and the development of skills to handle GPS, drones and cameras, and a “train the trainers” approach.</p>



<p>This equipped the San Martin Network to train their members on how to use GFW tools and identify deforestation alerts, and provided young network members with personalized training for data management and tools.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">GIS and monitoring unit ready to respond to environmental crimes</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="768" height="432" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/AMPA_photo-2_resized.jpg" alt="Volunteers using a drone" class="wp-image-16483"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Volunteers using a drone. Credit: AMPA.</figcaption></figure>



<p>AMPA also expanded its focus to continue to build capacity in forest custodian accreditation workshops, which include members of the Peruvian Amazon networks AMPA works with. This includes the formation of a Geographic Information System (GIS) and monitoring unit to monitor areas with GFW and remote sensing technology. The GIS and monitoring unit helped improve the verification of deforestation alerts and provide detailed information on the forest cover changes in the conservation areas.</p>



<p>Collaborating with technically capable monitoring brigades and forest custodians from the Peruvian Amazon networks strengthened AMPA’s ability to work directly with authorities to verify and respond to environmental crimes. The GIS and monitoring unit provided technical support in verification procedures to the authorities and prepared deforestation and field verification reports that were shared with Specialized Prosecution in Environmental Affairs (FEMA) and the Regional Environmental Authority (ARA). These reports support legal and administrative complaints against those responsible for environmental crimes, such as illegal deforestation.</p>



<p>Ultimately, authorities from FEMA and ARA officially recognized AMPA’ reports, along with GLAD alerts and Planet and drone imagery, as official evidence of environmental crimes.</p>



<p>Joint actions between AMPA’s GIS and monitoring unit, local actors and authorities helped strengthen and improve attention to environmental crimes with the active participation and involvement of local partners playing a key role. Due to the quality of reports submitted to FEMA on behalf of the San Martin Network, AMPA now has a formal inter-institutional agreement to assist the FEMA office in San Martin with collecting information on possible illegal deforestation using drones and Planet imagery.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Alliances with local authorities</h2>



<p>AMPA organized workshops with representatives of the institutions directly involved in addressing environmental crimes in the region, which included designing a unified process for representatives and partners to collect key information for investigations through technical procedures that integrated GFW data and tools. Additionally, AMPA provided trainings for FEMA and ARA members on how to best use the data and tools.</p>



<p>AMPA helped prosecutors and technicians obtain accreditation as operators of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS, or drones) which strengthened their ability to conduct verifications. Furthermore, AMPA also supported monitoring and conservation partners to get accredited as RPAS operators, improving their ability to verify deforestation alerts in the areas they investigated, which in turn strengthened their reporting of forest-related crimes to authorities.</p>



<p>To share insights from their strategic approach for verifying and reporting crimes, AMPA developed a roadmap on integrating technology use and collaboration with local actors and authorities, including information on strategic alliances with different stakeholders (communities and local, regional and national governments).</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="724" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/infographic_road-map-for-responding-environmental-crimes-using-glad-alerts-ampa-1024x724-1.png" alt="Infographic: Road map for responding to environmental crime" class="wp-image-16484" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/infographic_road-map-for-responding-environmental-crimes-using-glad-alerts-ampa-1024x724-1.png 1024w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/infographic_road-map-for-responding-environmental-crimes-using-glad-alerts-ampa-1024x724-1-768x543.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>This manual was created as part of the San Martin Network’s efforts to raise awareness and help address environmental crimes. They also shared this manual with partners on the platform of “<a href="https://www.amazoniaquelate.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Escuela</em> <em>Amazonía que Late</em></a>,” an initiative led by AMPA that brings together local communities, Indigenous Peoples, organized civil society and local governments, and other partners across various conservation initiatives in Peru to learn about strategies to protect its natural and cultural heritage.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Raising awareness of community forest monitoring efforts</h2>



<p>The surveillance and control system for forest monitoring developed by AMPA resulted in community advocacy efforts to raise awareness of environmental crimes within local, regional and national law enforcement authorities, including the prosecutor’s office, to reduce illegal deforestation. AMPA’s reports based on the deforestation alerts <a href="https://diariovoces.com.pe/197474/fiscalia-ambiental-de-alto-amazonas-reforzara-acciones-de-control-y-vigilancia?fbclid=IwAR3QvgpG4hFv62o7gpVVntlM7RzPtfA_3KrwUAVp-BxbsIxq50qF-4Tdfuo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">received media coverage</a> and not only caught the attention of authorities to identify offenders, but their complaints were raised to the prosecutor’s office. To date, two reports based on AMPA’s approach that were referred to the authorities have resulted in sentencing of those responsible for environmental crimes.</p>



<p>As part of their communication strategy, AMPA prepared press releases and audiovisual materials to feature the main activities of their project that were disseminated across local, regional and national media and partner websites. These communication efforts helped emphasize and highlight the role of AMPA’s participatory monitoring work and raise awareness among stakeholders of environmental crimes.</p>



<p>Additionally, AMPA has hosted meetings and workshops with public institutions responsible for forest management in Peru to explain their control and surveillance system. National and subnational government agencies have recognized AMPA as an important stakeholder in the conservation and management of forests in the San Martin region and in the Peruvian Amazon, and several additional national and regional government agencies have requested training and technical support from them.</p>



<p>“We’re proud of the renewal of the inter-institutional agreement with the Specialized Prosecution in Environmental Affairs (FEMA) and the interest of other donors to continue promoting and executing projects with forest monitoring components based on our experience in other regions,” said Jorge Fachín.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">From deforestation alert to community action and beyond</h2>



<p>A key element of AMPA’s success is their approach to building partnerships with local communities and law enforcement authorities to use tools like GFW to verify deforestation and address environmental crimes, together. Today, AMPA continues their work within the network of community conservation concessions and local law enforcement to combat deforestation in San Martin. They are building off the momentum of their first successful collaboration with law enforcement and are working with forest monitors to continue participating in field visits with FEMA. Additionally, they are expanding their geographic reach and response to environmental crimes and are working with prosecutors from four provinces, including Loreto, Amazonas and two in San Martin.</p>



<p>AMPA‘s work continues to be recognized by regional and national authorities. Notably, their inter-institutional agreement with FEMA has been renewed, and they continue to work with strategic partners and allies to promote and execute forest monitoring projects in the region. They plan to build on capacity-strengthening efforts of local forest conservation associations through participatory implementation of surveillance systems and processes for their conservation initiatives. Furthermore, they will continue to provide technical support to FEMA and coordinate with authorities and local actors that are helping deliver justice for those affected by environmental crimes, and ultimately improve the lives of the communities that depend on forests.</p>



<p><em>To learn more about AMPA, </em><a href="https://ampaperu.info/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>visit their website.</em></a></p>



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Forest Guardians in Action: Amazónicos por la Amazonía Tackles Environmental Crimes with GFW

<p><em>“We are part of nature and nature lives in coexistence. Everything is interconnected and everything depends on each other ... If we don’t work collaboratively and in a connected way, we sure won’t be able to move forward.” </em>- Tatiana Espinosa, President of ARBIO Perú ACOMAD – Madre De Dios, and a member of the Amazonía Que Late Network</p>



<iframe width="450" height="400" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/konVVZhR5_M?si=G9R976DqJWz0eRVz" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>



<p></p>



<p>Deep in the Amazon, volunteers from the Voluntary and Communal Conservation Network of San Martin receive a deforestation alert in <a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/help/forest-watcher/">Forest Watcher</a>: the forest monitoring app shows an <a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/blog/data-and-research/integrated-deforestation-alerts/">alert</a> detecting a disturbance in a monitored area. The volunteers arrive by various means — from small boat, motorcycle, or horseback to endless walking — to an area that has been cleared, illegally. Within the Forest Watcher app, they document a report and capture evidence of the impact. Network volunteers alert the local authorities who launch an official investigation.</p>



<p>Guardians of the forest in San Martín, Peru, use Global Forest Watch’s (GFW) data and technologies such as Forest Watcher daily to monitor forests, prevent deforestation and defend biodiversity. <a href="https://ampaperu.info/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Amazónicos por la Amazonía</a> (AMPA) — a nonprofit organization committed to conserving Peru’s natural and cultural heritage and improving the sustainable development of the people of the Andean Amazon, and a GFW Small Grants Fund recipient — works with allies such as conservation concession holders from the San Martin Network to monitor and patrol forest areas (conservation and ecotourism concessions are public forest areas where legal management rights are granted to groups such as NGOs, like AMPA, that are organized by the civil society of the communities that voluntarily conserve the forests).</p>



<p>AMPA works with local communities and authorities to carry out joint actions to verify deforestation and raise awareness of environmental crimes. Since 2017, they actively monitored forest loss in the regions of San Martín, Loreto and Ucayali — an area that totals over 900,000 hectares. Through this work, they provided the San Martin network with a space to connect and collaborate on the conservation of the forest lands that were assigned to them for management and protection.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Leveraging GFW tools to build forest monitoring capacity</h2>



<p>AMPA is a four-time recipient of the GFW <a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/grants-and-fellowships/projects/">Small Grants Fund</a> (SGF), which provides financial and technical assistance to organizations to monitor and respond to deforestation. AMPA’s projects aim to pair local knowledge with a more robust use of GFW data and tools to improve the response capacity and awareness of environmental crimes in Peru’s San Martin region. During their projects, AMPA has trained volunteers on how to use tools like GFW data and the Forest Watcher app.</p>



<p>GFW’s partnership with AMPA started in 2017 during their first year as a SGF grantee. AMPA used GFW data and tools to implement a control and surveillance system within the conservation initiatives in the San Martin Network.</p>



<p>“Associations that protect forests use [GFW] as part of their surveillance and control systems, allowing them to organize patrol watches, tours and identify areas according to the degree of threat and vulnerability,” explained Jorge Fachín, Director of the Forest Program, Conservation and Monitoring of AMPA</p>



<p>GFW tools and monitoring equipment help AMPA improve forest monitoring activities of the volunteer network by enabling them to lead patrols more easily and rapidly. The use of drones and mobile apps like Forest Watcher help the volunteers collect sufficient information to carry out field activities with authorities, collect necessary information and evidence, and generate patrol reports.</p>



<p>Over the course of several SGF projects, AMPA worked with conservation networks in the Peruvian Amazon, including San Martin to use GFW solutions and develop&nbsp;their monitoring capacity, evolving each project based on lessons learned from their previous work. This involved the use and management of deforestation alerts and the development of skills to handle GPS, drones and cameras, and a “train the trainers” approach.</p>



<p>This equipped the San Martin Network to train their members on how to use GFW tools and identify deforestation alerts, and provided young network members with personalized training for data management and tools.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">GIS and monitoring unit ready to respond to environmental crimes</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/AMPA_photo-2_resized.jpg" alt="Volunteers using a drone" class="wp-image-16483"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Volunteers using a drone. Credit: AMPA.</figcaption></figure>



<p>AMPA also expanded its focus to continue to build capacity in forest custodian accreditation workshops, which include members of the Peruvian Amazon networks AMPA works with. This includes the formation of a Geographic Information System (GIS) and monitoring unit to monitor areas with GFW and remote sensing technology. The GIS and monitoring unit helped improve the verification of deforestation alerts and provide detailed information on the forest cover changes in the conservation areas.</p>



<p>Collaborating with technically capable monitoring brigades and forest custodians from the Peruvian Amazon networks strengthened AMPA’s ability to work directly with authorities to verify and respond to environmental crimes. The GIS and monitoring unit provided technical support in verification procedures to the authorities and prepared deforestation and field verification reports that were shared with Specialized Prosecution in Environmental Affairs (FEMA) and the Regional Environmental Authority (ARA). These reports support legal and administrative complaints against those responsible for environmental crimes, such as illegal deforestation.</p>



<p>Ultimately, authorities from FEMA and ARA officially recognized AMPA’ reports, along with GLAD alerts and Planet and drone imagery, as official evidence of environmental crimes.</p>



<p>Joint actions between AMPA’s GIS and monitoring unit, local actors and authorities helped strengthen and improve attention to environmental crimes with the active participation and involvement of local partners playing a key role. Due to the quality of reports submitted to FEMA on behalf of the San Martin Network, AMPA now has a formal inter-institutional agreement to assist the FEMA office in San Martin with collecting information on possible illegal deforestation using drones and Planet imagery.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Alliances with local authorities</h2>



<p>AMPA organized workshops with representatives of the institutions directly involved in addressing environmental crimes in the region, which included designing a unified process for representatives and partners to collect key information for investigations through technical procedures that integrated GFW data and tools. Additionally, AMPA provided trainings for FEMA and ARA members on how to best use the data and tools.</p>



<p>AMPA helped prosecutors and technicians obtain accreditation as operators of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS, or drones) which strengthened their ability to conduct verifications. Furthermore, AMPA also supported monitoring and conservation partners to get accredited as RPAS operators, improving their ability to verify deforestation alerts in the areas they investigated, which in turn strengthened their reporting of forest-related crimes to authorities.</p>



<p>To share insights from their strategic approach for verifying and reporting crimes, AMPA developed a roadmap on integrating technology use and collaboration with local actors and authorities, including information on strategic alliances with different stakeholders (communities and local, regional and national governments).</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/infographic_road-map-for-responding-environmental-crimes-using-glad-alerts-ampa-1024x724-1.png" alt="Infographic: Road map for responding to environmental crime" class="wp-image-16484"/></figure>



<p>This manual was created as part of the San Martin Network’s efforts to raise awareness and help address environmental crimes. They also shared this manual with partners on the platform of “<a href="https://www.amazoniaquelate.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Escuela</em> <em>Amazonía que Late</em></a>,” an initiative led by AMPA that brings together local communities, Indigenous Peoples, organized civil society and local governments, and other partners across various conservation initiatives in Peru to learn about strategies to protect its natural and cultural heritage.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Raising awareness of community forest monitoring efforts</h2>



<p>The surveillance and control system for forest monitoring developed by AMPA resulted in community advocacy efforts to raise awareness of environmental crimes within local, regional and national law enforcement authorities, including the prosecutor's office, to reduce illegal deforestation. AMPA’s reports based on the deforestation alerts <a href="https://diariovoces.com.pe/197474/fiscalia-ambiental-de-alto-amazonas-reforzara-acciones-de-control-y-vigilancia?fbclid=IwAR3QvgpG4hFv62o7gpVVntlM7RzPtfA_3KrwUAVp-BxbsIxq50qF-4Tdfuo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">received media coverage</a> and not only caught the attention of authorities to identify offenders, but their complaints were raised to the prosecutor’s office. To date, two reports based on AMPA’s approach that were referred to the authorities have resulted in sentencing of those responsible for environmental crimes.</p>



<p>As part of their communication strategy, AMPA prepared press releases and audiovisual materials to feature the main activities of their project that were disseminated across local, regional and national media and partner websites. These communication efforts helped emphasize and highlight the role of AMPA’s participatory monitoring work and raise awareness among stakeholders of environmental crimes.</p>



<p>Additionally, AMPA has hosted meetings and workshops with public institutions responsible for forest management in Peru to explain their control and surveillance system. National and subnational government agencies have recognized AMPA as an important stakeholder in the conservation and management of forests in the San Martin region and in the Peruvian Amazon, and several additional national and regional government agencies have requested training and technical support from them.</p>



<p>“We’re proud of the renewal of the inter-institutional agreement with the Specialized Prosecution in Environmental Affairs (FEMA) and the interest of other donors to continue promoting and executing projects with forest monitoring components based on our experience in other regions,” said Jorge Fachín.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">From deforestation alert to community action and beyond</h2>



<p>A key element of AMPA’s success is their approach to building partnerships with local communities and law enforcement authorities to use tools like GFW to verify deforestation and address environmental crimes, together. Today, AMPA continues their work within the network of community conservation concessions and local law enforcement to combat deforestation in San Martin. They are building off the momentum of their first successful collaboration with law enforcement and are working with forest monitors to continue participating in field visits with FEMA. Additionally, they are expanding their geographic reach and response to environmental crimes and are working with prosecutors from four provinces, including Loreto, Amazonas and two in San Martin.</p>



<p>AMPA‘s work continues to be recognized by regional and national authorities. Notably, their inter-institutional agreement with FEMA has been renewed, and they continue to work with strategic partners and allies to promote and execute forest monitoring projects in the region. They plan to build on capacity-strengthening efforts of local forest conservation associations through participatory implementation of surveillance systems and processes for their conservation initiatives. Furthermore, they will continue to provide technical support to FEMA and coordinate with authorities and local actors that are helping deliver justice for those affected by environmental crimes, and ultimately improve the lives of the communities that depend on forests.</p>



<p><em>To learn more about AMPA, </em><a href="https://ampaperu.info/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>visit their website.</em></a></p>



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<p><em>“Somos parte de la naturaleza y la naturaleza vive en conjunto. Todo está interconectado y todo depende una cosa de otra,.. Si no trabajamos en una manera colaborativa y de manera vinculada, no vamos a poder seguir adelante.”</em> - Tatiana Espinosa, Presidenta ARBIO Perú ACOMAD – Madre De Dios, Integrante de la Red Amazonía Que Late</p>



<iframe width="450" height="400" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/konVVZhR5_M?si=G9R976DqJWz0eRVz" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>



<p></p>



<p>En lo profundo del Amazonía Andina Peruana, los integrantes de la Red Conservación Voluntaria y Comunal de San Martín reciben una alerta de deforestación en <a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/help/forest-watcher/">Forest Watcher</a>: el aplicativo de monitoreo forestal muestra una <a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/blog/data-and-research/integrated-deforestation-alerts/">alerta</a> que detecta una perturbación en un área monitoreada. Los voluntarios de la red se dirigen por diferentes medios (navegando en su peque – peque o moto, o interminables caminatas o a lomo de acémila) hasta las coordenadas y llegan a una zona que ha sido deforestada ilegalmente. Dentro de la aplicación Forest Watcher, documentan un informe y capturan evidencias del impacto. Los voluntarios de la red alertan a las autoridades locales que inician una investigación oficial.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Los guardianes del bosque en San Martín, Perú, utilizan diariamente los datos y tecnologías de Global Forest Watch (GFW), así como Forest Watcher, para monitorear los bosques, prevenir la deforestación y defender la biodiversidad. <a href="https://ampaperu.info/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Amazónicos por la Amazonía</a> (AMPA), una organización sin fines de lucro comprometida con la conservación del patrimonio natural y cultural del Perú y la mejora del desarrollo sostenible de los pueblos de la Amazonía andina, y receptora del Fondo de Pequeñas Subvenciones de GFW, trabaja con aliados como los titulares de concesiones de conservación del Red San Martín para monitorear y patrullar áreas forestales (las concesiones para conservación/ecoturismo son áreas de bosque público en las que se otorgan derechos legales de manejo a grupos como ONG como AMPA y sociedad civil organizada de las comunidades que voluntariamente vienen conservando los bosques).&nbsp;</p>



<p>AMPA trabaja con comunidades y autoridades locales para realizar acciones conjuntas para verificar la deforestación y generar conciencia sobre los delitos ambientales. Desde el 2017 monitorean activamente la pérdida de bosques en las regiones de San Martín, Loreto y Ucayali, un área que suma más de 900,00hectáreas. A través de este trabajo, brindaron a la red San Martín un espacio para conectarse y colaborar en la conservación de las tierras forestales que les fueron asignadas para su manejo y protección.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Aprovechar las herramientas de GFW para desarrollar la capacidad de monitoreo forestal</h2>



<p>AMPA ha recibido por cuatro oportunidades el <a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/grants-and-fellowships/projects/">Fondo de Pequeñas Subvenciones</a> (SGF) de GFW, que brinda asistencia financiera y técnica a organizaciones para monitorear y responder a la deforestación. Sus proyectos tenían como objetivo combinar el conocimiento local con un uso más sólido de los datos y herramientas de GFW para mejorar la capacidad de respuesta y hacer incidencia sobre los delitos ambientales en la región de San Martín, en la Amazonia de Perú. Durante su proyecto, AMPA ha capacitado a los integrantes de la red de conservación de San Martin sobre cómo utilizar herramientas como los datos de GFW y la aplicación Forest Watcher.&nbsp;</p>



<p>La alianza de GFW con AMPA comenzó en 2017, durante su primer año como beneficiario del SGF. AMPA utilizó datos y herramientas de GFW para implementar un sistema de control y vigilancia dentro de las iniciativas de conservación en la Red San Martín.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“Las asociaciones locales que protegen los bosques utilizan [GFW] como parte de sus sistemas de vigilancia y control, lo que les permite organizar patrullajes, recorridos e identificar áreas según el grado de amenaza y vulnerabilidad”, explicó Jorge Fachín, Director del Programa de Conservación y Monitoreo de AMPA.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Las herramientas y el equipo de monitoreo de GFW ayudan a AMPA a mejorar las actividades de monitoreo forestal de la red de conservación de San Martin al permitirles liderar patrullas de manera más fácil y rápida. El uso de los drones y las aplicaciones móviles como Forest Watcher los ayudan a recopilar información importante para llevar a cabo actividades de campo con las autoridades, recopilar la información y evidencia necesarias y generar informes de patrullaje.&nbsp;</p>



<p>En el transcurso de los diferentes proyectos del SGF, AMPA trabajó con redes de conservación de la Amazonia Peruana, que incluye a San Martín en, para utilizar las soluciones de GFW y desarrollar sus capacidades de monitoreo, evolucionando cada proyecto en función de las lecciones aprendidas de su trabajo anterior. Esto implicó el uso y gestión de alertas de deforestación y el desarrollo de habilidades para manejar GPS, drones y cámaras fotográficas, y un enfoque de “formación de formadores”. Esto equipó a la Red San Martín para capacitar a sus miembros sobre cómo utilizar las herramientas de GFW e identificar alertas de deforestación, y brindó a los miembros jóvenes de la red capacitación personalizada para la gestión de datos y herramientas.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Unidad de sistemas de información geográfica (SIG) y monitoreo listos para la atención sobre delitos ambientales</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/AMPA_photo-2_resized.jpg" alt="Volunteers using a drone" class="wp-image-16483"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Crédito: AMPA.</figcaption></figure>



<p>AMPA también amplió su enfoque para continuar desarrollando capacidades en los talleres de acreditación de custodios forestales, que incluyen a los integrantes de las redes de la Amazonia peruana con las que trabaja AMPA, incluida la conformación de una unidad de Sistemas de Información Geográfica (SIG) y monitoreo, que brinda soporte continuo para monitorear áreas con GFW, sensores remotos y tecnología.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p>La unidad de Sistemas de Información Geográfica (SIG) y monitoreo ayudaron a mejorar la verificación de las alertas de deforestación y proporcionar información detallada sobre los cambios en la cubierta forestal en las áreas de conservación.&nbsp;</p>



<p>La colaboración con brigadas de monitoreo con capacidad técnica y custodios forestales de las redes de la Amazonía peruana fortaleció la capacidad de AMPA para trabajar directamente con las autoridades para verificar y responder a los delitos ambientales. La unidad de Sistemas de Información Geográfica (SIG) y monitoreo brindaron soporte técnico en los procedimientos de verificación a las autoridades, elaboraron informes de deforestación y verificación de campo que fueron compartidos con la Fiscalía Especializada en Asuntos Ambientales (FEMA) y la Autoridad Ambiental Regional (ARA). Estos informes sustentan denuncias judiciales y administrativas contra los responsables de delitos ambientales, como la deforestación ilegal.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p>Finalmente, las autoridades de FEMA y ARA reconocieron oficialmente los informes de AMPA, junto con las alertas de GLAD, las imágenes&nbsp; Planet y las imágenes de drones como evidencia oficial de delitos ambientales.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Las acciones conjuntas entre La unidad de Sistemas de Información Geográfica (SIG) y monitoreo, los actores y autoridades locales ayudaron a fortalecer y mejorar la atención a los delitos ambientales, con la participación activa y el involucramiento de los socios locales jugando un papel clave. Debido a la calidad de los informes presentados a FEMA en nombre de la Red San Martín, AMPA ahora tiene un acuerdo de cooperación interinstitucional formal para coadyuvar a las fiscalías de la FEMA en San Martín a recopilar información sobre posible deforestación ilegal utilizando drones e imágenes de Planet.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Alianzas con autoridades locales</h2>



<p>AMPA organizó talleres y mesas de trabajo con representantes de las instituciones directamente involucradas en abordar los delitos ambientales en la región, que incluyeron el diseño de un formato unificado para que representantes y socios recopilen información clave para las investigaciones a través de procedimientos técnicos que integraron datos y herramientas de GFW. Además, AMPA brindó capacitación a los miembros de Fiscalia Especializada en Materia Ambienta (FEMA) y la Autoridad Regional Ambiental (ARA sobre cómo utilizar mejor los datos y las herramientas.&nbsp;</p>



<p>AMPA ayudó a fiscales y técnicos a obtener la acreditación como operadores de sistemas de aeronaves pilotadas a distancia (RPAS o drones), lo que fortaleció su capacidad para realizar verificaciones. Además, AMPA también apoyó a los socios de monitoreo y conservación para obtener la acreditación como operadores de RPAS, mejorando su capacidad para verificar las alertas de deforestación en las áreas que investigaron, lo que a su vez fortaleció su presentación de delitos relacionados con los bosques ante las autoridades.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Para compartir conocimientos de su enfoque estratégico para verificar y denunciar delitos, AMPA desarrolló una hoja de ruta sobre la integración del uso de la tecnología y la colaboración con actores y autoridades locales, incluida información sobre alianzas estratégicas con diferentes partes interesadas (comunidades y gobiernos locales, regionales y nacionales).&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/infografia_ruta-de-atencion-a-delitos-ambientales-usando-alertas-glad-ampa-1024x724-1.jpeg" alt="Infografia: Ruta de atencion a delitos amientales" class="wp-image-16495"/></figure>



<p>Este manual fue creado como parte de los esfuerzos de la Red San Martín para crear conciencia y ayudar a abordar los delitos ambientales. También compartieron este manual en la plataforma de la “<a href="https://www.amazoniaquelate.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Escuela Amazonía que Late</a>”, una iniciativa liderada por AMPA, y que fue diseñada para las comunidades locales, pueblos indígenas, sociedad civil organizada y gobiernos locales, y otros socios de varias iniciativas de conservación en Perú para aprender sobre estrategias para proteger su patrimonio natural y cultural.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Crear conciencia sobre los esfuerzos de monitoreo forestal comunitario</h2>



<p>El sistema de vigilancia y control para el monitoreo forestal desarrollado por AMPA dio como resultado esfuerzos de promoción comunitaria para crear conciencia sobre los delitos ambientales dentro de las autoridades policiales locales, regionales y nacionales, incluida la fiscalía, para reducir la deforestación ilegal. Los informes del AMPA basados en las alertas de deforestación <a href="https://diariovoces.com.pe/197474/fiscalia-ambiental-de-alto-amazonas-reforzara-acciones-de-control-y-vigilancia?fbclid=IwAR3QvgpG4hFv62o7gpVVntlM7RzPtfA_3KrwUAVp-BxbsIxq50qF-4Tdfuo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">recibieron cobertura mediática</a> y no sólo llamaron la atención de las autoridades para identificar a los infractores, sino que sus denuncias fueron elevadas a la fiscalía. Hasta el momento, dos informes que se derivaron a las autoridades competentes y que contiene el enfoque de AMPA han resultado en sentencias contra los responsables de los delitos ambientales.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Como parte de su estrategia de comunicación, AMPA preparó comunicados de prensa y materiales audiovisuales para presentar las principales actividades de su proyecto que se difundieron en los medios locales, regionales y nacionales y en los sitios web de los socios. Estos esfuerzos de comunicación ayudaron a enfatizar y resaltar el papel del trabajo de monitoreo participativo de AMPA y crear conciencia entre las partes interesadas sobre los delitos ambientales.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Además, AMPA ha organizado reuniones y talleres con instituciones públicas responsables del manejo forestal en Perú para explicar su sistema de control y vigilancia. Las agencias gubernamentales nacionales y subnacionales han reconocido al AMPA como un actor importante en la conservación y el manejo de los bosques en la región de San Martín y en la Amazonía peruana, y varias agencias gubernamentales nacionales y regionales adicionales les han solicitado capacitación y apoyo técnico.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“Estamos orgullosos de la renovación del convenio interinstitucional con la Fiscalía Especializada en Asuntos Ambientales (FEMA) y del interés de otros donantes de seguir impulsando y ejecutando proyectos con componentes de monitoreo forestal basados en nuestra experiencia en otras regiones”, dijo Jorge Fachín.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">De la alerta de deforestación a la acción comunitaria y más allá</h2>



<p>Un elemento clave del éxito de AMPA es su enfoque para generar alianzas con comunidades locales y autoridades encargadas de hacer cumplir la ley para utilizar herramientas como GFW para verificar la deforestación y abordar los delitos ambientales, juntos. Hoy, AMPA continúa su trabajo dentro de la red de concesiones de conservación comunitaria y aplicación de la ley local para combatir la deforestación en San Martín. Están aprovechando el impulso de su primera colaboración exitosa con las autoridades y están trabajando con monitores forestales para continuar participando en visitas de campo con FEMA. Además, están ampliando su alcance geográfico y su respuesta para la atención a los delitos ambientales y están trabajando con fiscalías de cuatro regiones, incluidas Loreto, Amazonas y dos de San Martín.&nbsp;</p>



<p>El trabajo de AMPA sigue siendo reconocido por las autoridades regionales y nacionales. Cabe destacar que han renovado su acuerdo interinstitucional con FEMA y continúan trabajando con socios y aliados estratégicos para promover y ejecutar proyectos de monitoreo forestal en la región. Planean aprovechar los esfuerzos de fortalecimiento de capacidades de las asociaciones locales que conservan los bosques mediante la implementación participativa de sistemas y procesos de vigilancia para sus iniciativas de conservación. Además, continuarán brindando apoyo técnico a FEMA y coordinando con autoridades y actores locales que están ayudando a impartir justicia a los afectados por delitos ambientales contribuyendo de esta manera a la mejorar las vidas de las comunidades que dependen de los bosques.&nbsp;</p>



<p><em>Para obtener más información sobre AMPA, </em><a href="https://ampaperu.info/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>visite su página web</em></a><em>.</em></p>



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Guardianes del bosque en acción: Amazónicos por la Amazonía abordan los delitos ambientales con GFW

GFW Small Grants Fund recipient AMPA is working with communities and authorities to to verify and raise awareness of environmental crimes.

AMPA Tackles Environmental Crimes with GFW | GFW Blog

African savannah elephants in the Maasai Mara

Gabrielle Nussbaum

<p>Kenya is known for its incredible ecosystem biodiversity, including lowland and montane forests, savannah and scrubland. Among them is the Greater Mara Ecosystem, world famous for its wildlife, with populations of lions, wildebeest, gazelles, cheetahs and <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/181008073/223031019" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">African savannah elephants</a>, the largest land mammal on Earth. The Maasai Mara National Reserve, which covers 1,510 square kilometers in southern Kenya, and its surrounding area is home to an estimated 2,600 elephants, which use Kenya’s forest habitats for shelter, food and water.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Three forests play an important role in the Greater Mara: Mau, Loita and Nyakweri. Often referred to as “<a href="https://watertowers.go.ke/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">water towers</a>” because of their deep importance to water security, these forests are a <a href="https://www2.cifor.org/water-towers/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">main water source</a> for 12 rivers including the Mara River, a vital source for life in the Maasai Mara National Reserve. For communities in this area, the forests provide water, food and traditional medicine. For the wildlife, the forests offer a refuge during the dry season.</p>



<p>Mara Elephant Project, a local organization, is helping alongside partners the Wildlife Research and Training Institute, Kenya Forest Service and Kenya Wildlife Service to protect these critical forests aided by data from Global Forest Watch.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Using GFW data to help protect critical forest habitats</h2>



<p>Since 2001, the natural forest cover of one of the critical forests has shrunk by 60% due to illegal logging and encroachment.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1242" height="384" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Forest-cover-change-in-Nyakweri-Forest.png" alt="Forest cover change in Nyakweri Forest" class="wp-image-16310" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Forest-cover-change-in-Nyakweri-Forest.png 1242w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Forest-cover-change-in-Nyakweri-Forest-1024x317.png 1024w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Forest-cover-change-in-Nyakweri-Forest-768x237.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1242px) 100vw, 1242px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Forest cover change in Nyakweri Forest. 60% of the forest has been cut down since 2001. <em>Data (left): Hansen Global Forest Cover Change. Credit (right): Chags Photography.</em></figcaption></figure>



<p><a href="https://maraelephantproject.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mara Elephant Project</a> (MEP) is a local organization protecting wildlife, communities and habitats in the Maasai Mara. MEP works to protect elephants and their habitats in the Mau (258,000 ha), Loita (41,000 ha) and Nyakweri (8,000 ha) forests, which together support a population of nearly 1,000 elephants.</p>



<p>Due to the vast size and impenetrable thickness of these forests, monitoring for deforestation and loss can often be a challenge. Satellite data can help monitor large areas that would otherwise be impossible to patrol on foot.</p>



<p>To facilitate this, MEP uses <a href="https://www.earthranger.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">EarthRanger</a>, a software that collects, integrates and displays remote sensing data along with tracking and field reports into one unified platform. Global Forest Watch (GFW) has partnered with EarthRanger to provide satellite data, including <a href="https://gfw.global/409wpa9">GLAD deforestation alerts</a> and <a href="https://gfw.global/3FMgnLq">VIIRs fire alerts</a>, which are crucial for MEP and partner organizations to monitor these forests.</p>



<p>“The use of satellite imagery through GLAD alerts has enhanced the way vast areas are monitored,” said EarthRanger’s Director Jes Lefcourt. “This empowers conservationists to be aware of deforestation in remote places and to deal with previously impossible challenges of scale.”</p>



<iframe loading="lazy" width="670" height="490" frameborder="0" src="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/embed/map/?map=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"></iframe>



<p>“Satellite-based alerts really help us understand what’s happening in places that are remote and difficult for our rangers to reach,” said Dr. Jake Wall, MEP’s Director of Research and Conservation.</p>



<p>The MEP team of Maasai rangers and researchers use GLAD and fire alerts, along with aerial monitoring, to detect illegal logging and <a href="https://maraelephantproject.org/our-approach/protect/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">deploy rangers on patrol</a>&nbsp;to investigate areas of the Greater Mara that are vulnerable to illegal habitat destruction.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1900" height="1264" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Mau-Rangers-1-Chags-Photography.jpg" alt="Mau Rangers help protect critical forests" class="wp-image-16311" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Mau-Rangers-1-Chags-Photography.jpg 1900w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Mau-Rangers-1-Chags-Photography-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Mau-Rangers-1-Chags-Photography-768x511.jpg 768w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Mau-Rangers-1-Chags-Photography-1536x1022.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Mau Rangers. <em>Credit: Chags Photography</em>.</figcaption></figure>



<p>MEP supports regular patrols of these forested areas alongside government partners to abate and halt destructive activities.</p>



<p>“We’ve seen an increase annually in arrests and seizures related to habitat destruction,” said MEP’s CEO Marc Goss, who leads the deployment of patrol units.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Partnering to share data for decision making</h2>



<p>By using satellite data available from GFW, MEP has been able to react more quickly than ever and is working on developing more efficient ways to bring this data to government agencies who can use it to influence their policy and decision making. MEP is now in the process of creating an automated system to share data with local government, and along with partners across the Mara, MEP is helping to develop a monitoring framework that would include statistics on forest cover and fires derived from satellite data as key indicators.</p>



<p>“The automated system MEP has developed is called Ecoscope,” explained Dr. Wall. “We can cut the time out of generating key conservation outputs through automation using this software and visualize those outputs in an efficient way. This saves us both time and resources and makes the data far more accessible.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Working with local communities to prevent forest loss</h2>



<p><a href="https://journals.law.harvard.edu/ilj/2023/01/after-decades-of-illegal-evictions-indigenous-ogiek-win-reparations-ruling-against-the-republic-of-kenya/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Land tenure in these areas</a>&nbsp;has often been unclear and communities’ role in protecting these forests is critical. MEP employs rangers recruited from local communities as a pragmatic strategy to conserve these areas. Six ranger units comprised of men and women recruited from the bordering community and trained by MEP are deployed to protect the forest from loggers, charcoal makers and poachers.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1900" height="1264" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Nyakweri-Rangers-Chags-Photography.jpg" alt="Nyakweri Rangers  help protect critical forests" class="wp-image-16312" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Nyakweri-Rangers-Chags-Photography.jpg 1900w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Nyakweri-Rangers-Chags-Photography-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Nyakweri-Rangers-Chags-Photography-768x511.jpg 768w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Nyakweri-Rangers-Chags-Photography-1536x1022.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Nyakweri Rangers. <em>Credit: Chags Photography</em>.</figcaption></figure>



<p>Whenever it can, MEP relies on the knowledge and traditions of local communities to protect forests. The Loita Forest, for example, is managed by the local Maasai community who live there and value its traditional importance. As a result, only a 3% forest loss has been recorded in this forest within the last 20 years.</p>



<p>MEP’s Project Conservation Manager, Wilson Sairowua, works closely with local communities like Loita and emphasized the important role they play in forest protection, explaining “[t]he Loita people are a special lot since they have been protecting the forest using the Laibon [Maasai healer] and their traditional spiritual leaders. They consider the forest to be an important source of food and medicine, therefore it is forbidden by culture to cut trees.”&nbsp;</p>



<p>While protecting forests can be challenging, as access to data improves, so does response time and impact. Using near-real-time satellite data, MEP is able to work with community and government partners to monitor and understand changes in forests, and with partners, respond to them more efficiently. As long as threats exist to these forest ecosystems that communities and wildlife critically depend on, MEP will use data, build partnerships and work with communities to protect them.</p>



<p>&nbsp;“The better we can monitor forests,” said Dr. Wall, “the better we can help protect them.”</p>



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Protecting Critical Forest Habitats in the Maasai Mara with Mara Elephant Project

<p>Kenya is known for its incredible ecosystem biodiversity, including lowland and montane forests, savannah and scrubland. Among them is the Greater Mara Ecosystem, world famous for its wildlife, with populations of lions, wildebeest, gazelles, cheetahs and <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/181008073/223031019" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">African savannah elephants</a>, the largest land mammal on Earth. The Maasai Mara National Reserve, which covers 1,510 square kilometers in southern Kenya, and its surrounding area is home to an estimated 2,600 elephants, which use Kenya’s forest habitats for shelter, food and water.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Three forests play an important role in the Greater Mara: Mau, Loita and Nyakweri. Often referred to as “<a href="https://watertowers.go.ke/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">water towers</a>” because of their deep importance to water security, these forests are a <a href="https://www2.cifor.org/water-towers/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">main water source</a> for 12 rivers including the Mara River, a vital source for life in the Maasai Mara National Reserve. For communities in this area, the forests provide water, food and traditional medicine. For the wildlife, the forests offer a refuge during the dry season.</p>



<p>Mara Elephant Project, a local organization, is helping alongside partners the Wildlife Research and Training Institute, Kenya Forest Service and Kenya Wildlife Service to protect these critical forests aided by data from Global Forest Watch.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Using GFW data to help protect critical forest habitats</h2>



<p>Since 2001, the natural forest cover of one of the critical forests has shrunk by 60% due to illegal logging and encroachment.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Forest-cover-change-in-Nyakweri-Forest.png" alt="Forest cover change in Nyakweri Forest" class="wp-image-16310"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Forest cover change in Nyakweri Forest. 60% of the forest has been cut down since 2001. <em>Data (left): Hansen Global Forest Cover Change. Credit (right): Chags Photography.</em></figcaption></figure>



<p><a href="https://maraelephantproject.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mara Elephant Project</a> (MEP) is a local organization protecting wildlife, communities and habitats in the Maasai Mara. MEP works to protect elephants and their habitats in the Mau (258,000 ha), Loita (41,000 ha) and Nyakweri (8,000 ha) forests, which together support a population of nearly 1,000 elephants.</p>



<p>Due to the vast size and impenetrable thickness of these forests, monitoring for deforestation and loss can often be a challenge. Satellite data can help monitor large areas that would otherwise be impossible to patrol on foot.</p>



<p>To facilitate this, MEP uses <a href="https://www.earthranger.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">EarthRanger</a>, a software that collects, integrates and displays remote sensing data along with tracking and field reports into one unified platform. Global Forest Watch (GFW) has partnered with EarthRanger to provide satellite data, including <a href="https://gfw.global/409wpa9">GLAD deforestation alerts</a> and <a href="https://gfw.global/3FMgnLq">VIIRs fire alerts</a>, which are crucial for MEP and partner organizations to monitor these forests.</p>



<p>“The use of satellite imagery through GLAD alerts has enhanced the way vast areas are monitored,” said EarthRanger’s Director Jes Lefcourt. "This empowers conservationists to be aware of deforestation in remote places and to deal with previously impossible challenges of scale."</p>



<iframe width="670" height="490" frameborder="0" src="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/embed/map/?map=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"></iframe>



<p>“Satellite-based alerts really help us understand what’s happening in places that are remote and difficult for our rangers to reach,” said Dr. Jake Wall, MEP’s Director of Research and Conservation.</p>



<p>The MEP team of Maasai rangers and researchers use GLAD and fire alerts, along with aerial monitoring, to detect illegal logging and <a href="https://maraelephantproject.org/our-approach/protect/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">deploy rangers on patrol</a>&nbsp;to investigate areas of the Greater Mara that are vulnerable to illegal habitat destruction.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Mau-Rangers-1-Chags-Photography.jpg" alt="Mau Rangers help protect critical forests" class="wp-image-16311"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Mau Rangers. <em>Credit: Chags Photography</em>.</figcaption></figure>



<p>MEP supports regular patrols of these forested areas alongside government partners to abate and halt destructive activities.</p>



<p>“We’ve seen an increase annually in arrests and seizures related to habitat destruction,” said MEP’s CEO Marc Goss, who leads the deployment of patrol units.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Partnering to share data for decision making</h2>



<p>By using satellite data available from GFW, MEP has been able to react more quickly than ever and is working on developing more efficient ways to bring this data to government agencies who can use it to influence their policy and decision making. MEP is now in the process of creating an automated system to share data with local government, and along with partners across the Mara, MEP is helping to develop a monitoring framework that would include statistics on forest cover and fires derived from satellite data as key indicators.</p>



<p>“The automated system MEP has developed is called Ecoscope,” explained Dr. Wall. “We can cut the time out of generating key conservation outputs through automation using this software and visualize those outputs in an efficient way. This saves us both time and resources and makes the data far more accessible.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Working with local communities to prevent forest loss</h2>



<p><a href="https://journals.law.harvard.edu/ilj/2023/01/after-decades-of-illegal-evictions-indigenous-ogiek-win-reparations-ruling-against-the-republic-of-kenya/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Land tenure in these areas</a>&nbsp;has often been unclear and communities’ role in protecting these forests is critical. MEP employs rangers recruited from local communities as a pragmatic strategy to conserve these areas. Six ranger units comprised of men and women recruited from the bordering community and trained by MEP are deployed to protect the forest from loggers, charcoal makers and poachers.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Nyakweri-Rangers-Chags-Photography.jpg" alt="Nyakweri Rangers  help protect critical forests" class="wp-image-16312"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Nyakweri Rangers. <em>Credit: Chags Photography</em>.</figcaption></figure>



<p>Whenever it can, MEP relies on the knowledge and traditions of local communities to protect forests. The Loita Forest, for example, is managed by the local Maasai community who live there and value its traditional importance. As a result, only a 3% forest loss has been recorded in this forest within the last 20 years.</p>



<p>MEP’s Project Conservation Manager, Wilson Sairowua, works closely with local communities like Loita and emphasized the important role they play in forest protection, explaining "[t]he Loita people are a special lot since they have been protecting the forest using the Laibon [Maasai healer] and their traditional spiritual leaders. They consider the forest to be an important source of food and medicine, therefore it is forbidden by culture to cut trees."&nbsp;</p>



<p>While protecting forests can be challenging, as access to data improves, so does response time and impact. Using near-real-time satellite data, MEP is able to work with community and government partners to monitor and understand changes in forests, and with partners, respond to them more efficiently. As long as threats exist to these forest ecosystems that communities and wildlife critically depend on, MEP will use data, build partnerships and work with communities to protect them.</p>



<p>&nbsp;“The better we can monitor forests,” said Dr. Wall, “the better we can help protect them.”</p>



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Maasai Mara forests in Kenya are vital for communities and wildlife. Mara Elephant Project helps protect these forests with data from GFW.

Protecting Forest Habitats in the Maasai Mara with Mara Elephant Project

Indigenous community monitors in Copal Urco plan a patrol to monitor deforestation

<p>Loreto, Peru — A forest monitor from the Indigenous community of Vista Hermosa checks her smartphone. A satellite map showing the forest around her pops up. Her community’s territory is outlined and pink pixels—deforestation alerts—are visible within the boundaries. She and her fellow forest monitors react quickly, patrolling to the alert to confirm the deforestation. Finding the stumps and area cleared, they snap some photos and record their observations, and return to their community to relay the information and decide what to do next.</p>



<p>Vista Hermosa, along with 75 other communities in the Northeastern region of Peru are participants in a two-year randomized control trial, conducted by researchers at New from Johns Hopkins University and New York University, in partnership with the <a href="https://rainforestfoundation.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Rainforest Foundation US (RFUS)</a>, <a href="http://www.orpio.org.pe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ORPIO</a> and Global Forest Watch, to determine whether equipping Indigenous communities with satellite data could help bring deforestation rates down.</p>



<p>The results, released today in the <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/29/e2015171118" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences</a>, found that communities that implemented technology-based forest monitoring saw a reduction of 52% in the first year and 21% in the second year, compared to similar territories that did not change their monitoring practices. The most significant reductions were in communities facing the most immediate threats to their forests. These findings have implications for deforestation prevention strategies across the Amazon as a low-cost, <a href="https://www-newsweek-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.newsweek.com/proven-hidden-climate-solution-opinion-1585765?amp=1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">high-return strategy</a> to combat climate change.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">You Can’t Prevent Deforestation If You Can’t See It</h3>



<p>The premise of the study was simple — in order to effectively act against deforestation within their territories, Indigenous communities first must be able to quickly detect it. Satellites offered a solution. Orbiting and imaging the Earth constantly, they can show changes in forest cover between images on tiny scales. These images are used to build GLAD alerts, updated weekly on the GFW platform to show likely instances of deforestation, as well as the weekly alerts produced by Peru’s Ministry of the Environment.</p>



<div class="imageright"><img decoding="async" class=" wp-image-3569 alignright" style="padding-bottom: 10px;" alt="A community monitor in Remanso del Amazonas identifies early warning signs of deforestation" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/p_paisa_20150105_113737-scaled.jpg" width="100%">A community monitor in Remanso del Amazonas identifies early warning signs of deforestation. Photo by Beder Olortegui.</div>



<p>But these systems rely on technology access to use. Often the places where the use of alerts could have the biggest impact are deep in the rainforest, with no access to the internet or cell service.</p>



<p>“What good does the information do if it’s only seen by a bunch of academics and people in glass buildings?” said Tom Bewick, Peru Country Director for the Rainforest Foundation US, who was a principal architect of the study’s monitoring program. “The whole point is putting it into action.”</p>



<p>So, in order to put the data into action, RFUS provided each participating community with smartphones and training on the use of the phones, alerts and drones. Then, once per month, a courier would hand deliver the latest alert data along with maps and GPS coordinates to each community on a thumb drive. Community monitors could then transfer the data to their phones and access it offline to conduct patrols. The hope was that timely follow-up on the alerts would allow communities to stop deforestation in its tracks.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Elected Monitors Represent Their Communities</h3>



<p>ORPIO and the researchers identified 76 communities to participate in the study. Through a randomized lottery, 39 communities were selected to participate in the active monitoring program and 37 communities were designated to serve as controls. Later, three of the 39 selected communities decided not to participate.</p>



<p>Communities participating in the study selected three members to serve as forest monitors, who would take responsibility for investigating deforestation alerts in their territories. Forest monitors received a daily stipend of $8 (USD) while out on patrols.</p>



<p>When an alert was verified to be unauthorized clearing, monitors documented and brought their evidence back to the community to make collective decisions about how to follow up. Often, trees are cut by outsiders, either to illegally harvest logs, clear for agriculture, or cultivate coca for cocaine production.</p>



<p>Sometimes communities decide to confront the encroachers themselves. This was the case in <a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/blog/people/smart-phones-and-satellite-imagery-the-indigenous-monitors-of-vista-hermosa-take-action/?utm_campaign=LAUNCH:+EGAP+Study&utm_medium=bitly&utm_source=GFWBlog" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Vista Hermosa</a>, where, when shown the satellite images of their clandestine operations, the culprits decided to abandon the clearing. In other cases, communities have compiled reports to provide to the <a href="https://rainforestfoundation.org/video-indigenous-peruvians-are-using-satellites-and-drones-to-fight-deforestation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">environmental authorities in Peru</a>, who have then taken actions against the perpetrators.</p>



<p>Regardless of what a community decided to do with the information, having designated monitors reduced decision-making delays that could otherwise stall the response to encroachment. A comparison of the 36 participating communities to 37 control groups that maintained their typical monitoring practices found that monitoring activity intensified in communities where authority was invested in monitors. The average rate of territorial patrols and corresponding deforestation reports doubled in the first year.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Community Monitoring Methods Can be Replicated Elsewhere</h3>



<p>What the results of this study show is that investing in forest communities improves their capacity to protect their own territories, and this results in averted deforestation.</p>



<p>Bewick says that the model demonstrated by the project in Loreto could be adapted and expanded across the Amazon. According to the study, adopting similar local governance strategies in Peru could save 134,000 of 500,000 hectares of forests likely to be lost over the next decade. In Brazil, 300,000 of 2.2 million hectares of deforestation could be averted in the same time scale.</p>



<p>“Loreto represents everywhere,” Bewick said. “There’s a solution here, it’s cost effective, and it works. This would be a good investment for the future, not only for Peru but for our planet.”</p>



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Supplied with Tech, Indigenous Forest Monitors Curb Deforestation

<p>Loreto, Peru — A forest monitor from the Indigenous community of Vista Hermosa checks her smartphone. A satellite map showing the forest around her pops up. Her community’s territory is outlined and pink pixels—deforestation alerts—are visible within the boundaries. She and her fellow forest monitors react quickly, patrolling to the alert to confirm the deforestation. Finding the stumps and area cleared, they snap some photos and record their observations, and return to their community to relay the information and decide what to do next.</p>



<p>Vista Hermosa, along with 75 other communities in the Northeastern region of Peru are participants in a two-year randomized control trial, conducted by researchers at New from Johns Hopkins University and New York University, in partnership with the <a href="https://rainforestfoundation.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Rainforest Foundation US (RFUS)</a>, <a href="http://www.orpio.org.pe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ORPIO</a> and Global Forest Watch, to determine whether equipping Indigenous communities with satellite data could help bring deforestation rates down.</p>



<p>The results, released today in the <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/29/e2015171118" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences</a>, found that communities that implemented technology-based forest monitoring saw a reduction of 52% in the first year and 21% in the second year, compared to similar territories that did not change their monitoring practices. The most significant reductions were in communities facing the most immediate threats to their forests. These findings have implications for deforestation prevention strategies across the Amazon as a low-cost, <a href="https://www-newsweek-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.newsweek.com/proven-hidden-climate-solution-opinion-1585765?amp=1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">high-return strategy</a> to combat climate change.</p>



<h3>You Can’t Prevent Deforestation If You Can’t See It</h3>



<p>The premise of the study was simple — in order to effectively act against deforestation within their territories, Indigenous communities first must be able to quickly detect it. Satellites offered a solution. Orbiting and imaging the Earth constantly, they can show changes in forest cover between images on tiny scales. These images are used to build GLAD alerts, updated weekly on the GFW platform to show likely instances of deforestation, as well as the weekly alerts produced by Peru's Ministry of the Environment.</p>



<div class="imageright"><img class=" wp-image-3569 alignright" style="padding-bottom: 10px;" alt="A community monitor in Remanso del Amazonas identifies early warning signs of deforestation" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/p_paisa_20150105_113737-scaled.jpg" width="100%">A community monitor in Remanso del Amazonas identifies early warning signs of deforestation. Photo by Beder Olortegui.</div>



<p>But these systems rely on technology access to use. Often the places where the use of alerts could have the biggest impact are deep in the rainforest, with no access to the internet or cell service.</p>



<p>“What good does the information do if it’s only seen by a bunch of academics and people in glass buildings?” said Tom Bewick, Peru Country Director for the Rainforest Foundation US, who was a principal architect of the study’s monitoring program. “The whole point is putting it into action.”</p>



<p>So, in order to put the data into action, RFUS provided each participating community with smartphones and training on the use of the phones, alerts and drones. Then, once per month, a courier would hand deliver the latest alert data along with maps and GPS coordinates to each community on a thumb drive. Community monitors could then transfer the data to their phones and access it offline to conduct patrols. The hope was that timely follow-up on the alerts would allow communities to stop deforestation in its tracks.</p>



<h3>Elected Monitors Represent Their Communities</h3>



<p>ORPIO and the researchers identified 76 communities to participate in the study. Through a randomized lottery, 39 communities were selected to participate in the active monitoring program and 37 communities were designated to serve as controls. Later, three of the 39 selected communities decided not to participate.</p>



<p>Communities participating in the study selected three members to serve as forest monitors, who would take responsibility for investigating deforestation alerts in their territories. Forest monitors received a daily stipend of $8 (USD) while out on patrols.</p>



<p>When an alert was verified to be unauthorized clearing, monitors documented and brought their evidence back to the community to make collective decisions about how to follow up. Often, trees are cut by outsiders, either to illegally harvest logs, clear for agriculture, or cultivate coca for cocaine production.</p>



<p>Sometimes communities decide to confront the encroachers themselves. This was the case in <a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/blog/people/smart-phones-and-satellite-imagery-the-indigenous-monitors-of-vista-hermosa-take-action/?utm_campaign=LAUNCH:+EGAP+Study&amp;utm_medium=bitly&amp;utm_source=GFWBlog" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Vista Hermosa</a>, where, when shown the satellite images of their clandestine operations, the culprits decided to abandon the clearing. In other cases, communities have compiled reports to provide to the <a href="https://rainforestfoundation.org/video-indigenous-peruvians-are-using-satellites-and-drones-to-fight-deforestation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">environmental authorities in Peru</a>, who have then taken actions against the perpetrators.</p>



<p>Regardless of what a community decided to do with the information, having designated monitors reduced decision-making delays that could otherwise stall the response to encroachment. A comparison of the 36 participating communities to 37 control groups that maintained their typical monitoring practices found that monitoring activity intensified in communities where authority was invested in monitors. The average rate of territorial patrols and corresponding deforestation reports doubled in the first year.</p>



<h3>Community Monitoring Methods Can be Replicated Elsewhere</h3>



<p>What the results of this study show is that investing in forest communities improves their capacity to protect their own territories, and this results in averted deforestation.</p>



<p>Bewick says that the model demonstrated by the project in Loreto could be adapted and expanded across the Amazon. According to the study, adopting similar local governance strategies in Peru could save 134,000 of 500,000 hectares of forests likely to be lost over the next decade. In Brazil, 300,000 of 2.2 million hectares of deforestation could be averted in the same time scale.</p>



<p>“Loreto represents everywhere,” Bewick said. “There’s a solution here, it’s cost effective, and it works. This would be a good investment for the future, not only for Peru but for our planet.”</p>



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<p>Loreto, Perú — Una monitora forestal de la comunidad indígena de Vista Hermosa revisa su teléfono inteligente. Aparece un mapa satelital que muestra el bosque a su alrededor. El territorio de su comunidad aparece resaltado y se observan los píxeles rosados (alertas de deforestación) dentro de los límites. Ella y sus compañeros monitores del bosque reaccionan rápidamente, patrullando la zona de alerta para confirmar la deforestación. Al encontrar los tocones y el área despejados, toman algunas fotos, registran sus observaciones, y regresan a su comunidad para transmitir la información y decidir qué hacer a continuación.</p>



<p>Vista Hermosa, junto con otras 75 comunidades en la región noreste de Perú, participan en un ensayo de control aleatorio de dos años, realizado por investigadores de Johns Hopkins University y New York University, en asociación con <a href="https://rainforestfoundation.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Rainforest Foundation US (RFUS)</a>, <a href="http://www.orpio.org.pe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ORPIO</a> y Global Forest Watch, para determinar si equipar a las comunidades indígenas con datos satelitales podría ayudar a reducir las tasas de deforestación.</p>



<p>Los resultados, publicados hoy en <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/29/e2015171118" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences</a>, encontraron que las comunidades que implementaron el monitoreo forestal basado en tecnología vieron una reducción del 52% en el primer año y del 21% en el segundo año, en comparación con territorios similares que no cambiaron sus prácticas de seguimiento. Las reducciones más significativas se produjeron en las comunidades que enfrentan las amenazas más inmediatas a sus bosques. Estos hallazgos tienen implicancias para las estrategias de prevención de la deforestación en la Amazonía como <a href="https://www-newsweek-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.newsweek.com/proven-hidden-climate-solution-opinion-1585765?amp=1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">estrategia de alto rendimiento</a> para combatir el cambio climático.</p>



<h3>No se puede prevenir la deforestación si no se la ve</h3>



<p>La premisa del estudio fue simple — para actuar eficazmente contra la deforestación dentro de sus territorios, las comunidades indígenas primero deben poder detectarla rápidamente. Los satélites ofrecieron una solución. Orbitando y tomando imágenes de la Tierra constantemente, pueden mostrar cambios en la cobertura forestal entre imágenes a escalas diminutas. Estas imágenes se utilizan para generar alertas GLAD, que se actualizan semanalmente en la plataforma GFW para mostrar posibles casos de deforestación, así como las alertas semanales producidas por el Ministerio de Medio Ambiente de Perú.</p>



<div class="imageright"><img class=" wp-image-3569 alignright" style="padding-bottom: 10px;" alt="Un monitor comunitario en Remanso del Amazonas identifica señales tempranas de alerta de deforestación" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/p_paisa_20150105_113737-scaled.jpg" width="100%">Un monitor comunitario en Remanso del Amazonas identifica alertas tempranas de deforestación. Foto de Beder Olortegui.</div>



<p>Pero el uso de estos sistemas depende del acceso a la tecnología para su uso. A menudo, los lugares donde el uso de alertas podría tener el mayor impacto se encuentran en plena selva tropical, sin acceso a Internet ni al servicio celular.</p>



<p>"¿De qué sirve la información si solo la ven un grupo de académicos y personas en edificios de vidrio?" dijo Tom Bewick, director de país para Perú de Rainforest Foundation US, uno de los principales arquitectos del programa de monitoreo del estudio. "El objetivo es ponerla en acción."</p>



<p>Entonces, para poner los datos en acción, RFUS facilitó teléfonos inteligentes a cada comunidad participante y capacitación sobre el uso de teléfonos, alertas y drones. Además, una vez al mes, un mensajero entregaría personalmente los últimos datos de alerta junto con mapas y coordenadas GPS a cada comunidad, en una memoria USB. Los monitores comunitarios podrían luego transferir los datos a sus teléfonos y acceder a ellos fuera de línea para realizar patrullas. La esperanza era que el seguimiento oportuno de las alertas permitiera a las comunidades detener la deforestación en seco.</p>



<h3>Los monitores electos representan a sus comunidades</h3>



<p>ORPIO y los investigadores identificaron 76 comunidades factibles de participar en el estudio. A través de un sorteo aleatorio, se seleccionaron 39 comunidades para participar en el programa de monitoreo activo y se designaron 37 comunidades para servir como controles. Posteriormente, tres de las 39 comunidades seleccionadas decidieron retirarse.</p>



<p>Las comunidades que participaron en el estudio seleccionaron a tres miembros para que actuaran como monitores forestales, quienes serían responsables de investigar las alertas de deforestación en sus territorios. Los monitores forestales recibieron un estipendio diario de $8 (USD) mientras patrullaban.</p>



<p>Cuando se verificó que una alerta era un despeje no autorizado, los monitores documentaron y llevaron su evidencia a la comunidad para tomar decisiones colectivas sobre los pasos a seguir. A menudo, los árboles son cortados por forasteros, ya sea para recolectar troncos ilegalmente, talarlos para la agricultura o cultivar coca para la producción de cocaína.</p>



<p>A veces, las comunidades deciden enfrentar a los invasores. Este fue el caso en <a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/blog/people/smart-phones-and-satellite-imagery-the-indigenous-monitors-of-vista-hermosa-take-action/?utm_campaign=LAUNCH:+EGAP+Study&amp;utm_medium=bitly&amp;utm_source=GFWBlog" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Vista Hermosa</a>, donde, al mostrarles las imágenes satelitales, evidencia de sus operaciones clandestinas, los culpables decidieron abandonar el claro. En otros casos, las comunidades han compilado informes para proporcionárselos a las <a href="https://rainforestfoundation.org/video-indigenous-peruvians-are-using-satellites-and-drones-to-fight-deforestation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">autoridades ambientales en Perú</a>, quienes luego han tomado acciones contra los perpetradores.</p>



<p>Independientemente de lo que una comunidad decidió hacer con la información, tener monitores designados redujo las demoras en la toma de decisiones que, de otro modo, podrían retrasar la pronta respuesta ante la intrusión. Una comparación de las 36 comunidades participantes con 37 grupos de control que mantuvieron sus prácticas de monitoreo típicas encontró que la actividad de monitoreo se intensificó en las comunidades donde se dio autoridad a los monitores. La tasa promedio de patrullas territoriales y los correspondientes informes de deforestación se duplicaron en el primer año.</p>



<h3>Los métodos de monitoreo comunitario se pueden replicar en otros lugares</h3>



<p>Lo que muestran los resultados de este estudio es que invertir en las comunidades forestales mejora su capacidad para proteger sus propios territorios, y esto resulta en una deforestación que se evita.</p>



<p>Bewick dice que el modelo demostrado por el proyecto en Loreto podría adaptarse y expandirse a lo largo de la Amazonía. Según el estudio, adoptando estrategias de gobernanza local similares, en Perú podrían salvarse 134.000 de las 500.000 hectáreas de bosques que, de seguir como hasta ahora, probablemente se perderían durante el transcurso de la próxima década. En Brasil, 300.000 de 2,2 millones de hectáreas de deforestación podrían evitarse en el mismo período.</p>



<p>“Loreto es una muestra de lo que podríamos lograr en todas partes”, dijo Bewick. “Aquí hay una solución, es rentable y funciona. Esta sería una buena inversión para el futuro, no solo para Perú sino para nuestro planeta.”</p>



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Provistos de tecnología, los monitores forestales indígenas frenan la deforestación

A recent study shows that indigenous forest monitors equipped with satellite data saw a 52% reduction in deforestation in the first year.

Indigenous Forest Monitors Curb Deforestation | GFW Blog

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Alice Gottesman

A community group in Aceh, Indonesia uses Forest Watcher to monitor deforestation

Indonesia

Indonesia | Global Forest Watch Blog

Sarah Ruiz

VIDEO: Patrol the Leuser Ecosystem with Forest Defenders at HAkA

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fdkYmMFQ-_M" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>



<p></p>



<p>It’s the last place on Earth where orangutans, Sumatran rhinos and elephants and tigers still roam wild together, and it’s under threat. The Leuser ecosystem in Indonesia is a hotspot for biodiversity and a vital carbon sink, but encroachment from logging and oil palm and rubber plantations is eating away at the forest. Forest, Nature and Environment of Aceh (<a href="https://www.haka.or.id/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">HAkA</a>), an organization dedicated to protecting the environment in Indonesia’s Aceh province where the Leuser ecosystem is located, has been using the GLAD alerts on GFW in conjunction with satellite imagery to fight back. </p>



<p>The rugged topography and dense rainforest – the same features that make the Leuser ecosystem so important to protect— mean that detecting deforestation early enough to stop it is a challenge. But the early warning alerts on GFW, derived from satellite data, mean that forest monitors at HAkA can watch for deforestation from the skies. And satellite imagery from Planet can help monitors verify alerts and plan their patrols and future conservation or restoration projects. Watch the video above to hear from HAkA about their work. </p>



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Indonesia's Leuser ecosystem is a hotspot for biodiversity and a vital carbon sink, but encroachment is eating away at the forest. HAkA is using the GLAD alerts on GFW to fight back.

VIDEO: Patrol the Leuser Ecosystem with Forest Defenders at HAkA |

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Katie Fletcher

Deforestation event in Kinniya Sri Lanka, detected by Forest Watcher

Stephanie Jamilla

<p>On March 22, the entire country of Sri Lanka was placed under a <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.arabnews.com/node/1672851/world" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">strict two-month lockdown</a> to combat the rapidly spreading coronavirus. Although the move helped curb the spread of COVID-19 (to date, there have only been <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="http://asiantribune.com/node/94348" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">11 deaths</a> in country), the restrictions provided an opportunity for illegal loggers to encroach on nature preserves. For the Department of Forest Conservation, safely protecting Sri Lanka’s forests in the middle of a pandemic meant getting creative with satellite data and the Forest Watcher mobile app.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Monitoring Sri Lanka’s diverse forests</strong></h3>



<p>The country hosts between <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="https://fra-platform.herokuapp.com/LKA/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2 million</a> and <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="https://gfw.global/39lZB45" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">3.5 million </a>hectares of natural forest according to differing estimates. <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/dashboards/country/LKA?category=land-cover&mainMap=eyJzaG93QW5hbHlzaXMiOnRydWV9&map=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%3D&menu=eyJkYXRhc2V0Q2F0ZWdvcnkiOiJsYW5kQ292ZXIiLCJtZW51U2VjdGlvbiI6ImRhdGFzZXRzIn0%3D&treeLoss=eyJpbnRlcmFjdGlvbiI6e319&treeLossPct=eyJpbnRlcmFjdGlvbiI6e319&treeLossTsc=eyJpbnRlcmFjdGlvbiI6e319" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">596,000 hectares</a> of these are <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="https://gfw.global/3eTiD2Y" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ecologically significant primary rainforests</a>. The Department of Forest Conservation monitors two-thirds of this natural forest, which has been declared as protected area under the Forest Ordinance of Sri Lanka. An additional 300,000 hectares of shrubland also fall under its jurisdiction.</p>



<iframe loading="lazy" width="315" height="460" frameborder="0" src="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/embed/widget/primaryForest/country/LKA"></iframe>



<p>Although Sri Lanka does not boast as much forest as larger nations like Indonesia, it is rich in <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237010403_The_National_Red_List_2012_of_Sri_Lanka_Conservation_Status_of_the_Fauna_and_Flora" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">biodiversity</a>. Sri Lanka’s forests are home to over <a href="http://www.earthsendangered.com/search-regions3.asp" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">30 endangered mammals</a>, including the <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/sri-lankan-elephant" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sri Lankan elephant</a>. Sri Lanka also has the <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237010403_The_National_Red_List_2012_of_Sri_Lanka_Conservation_Status_of_the_Fauna_and_Flora" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">highest species density</a> for flowering plants, amphibians, reptiles and mammals in the Asian region. &nbsp;</p>



<p>According to Tilak Premakantha, a Conservator of Forests in the Geo-informatics & Forest Inventory of the department, these forests are mainly threatened by planned development. <a href="http://www.fao.org/3/ac791e/AC791E07.htm" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chena</a>, a native slash-and-burn, shifting cultivation practice that dates back centuries to early tribal societies, is another main driver of deforestation, along with <a href="https://gfw.global/2Z1ov5I" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">forestry and commodity production</a>.</p>



<p>Monitoring Sri Lanka’s forests for these threats is no easy feat even under normal conditions.</p>



<p>Prior to the pandemic, the department relied on a combination of routine patrolling, satellite imagery from Google Earth and reports from a network of community-based organizations and the general public. The forest officers responsible for investigating reports have other duties including running awareness programs on tree planting, forest plantation management and inventory and eco-tourism, so even at full capacity only about half of their time was ever dedicated to patrols. Conducting patrols is no easy task either, as forest officers could encounter anything from large elephant herds in dry zone forests to slippery hills that made for unpassable terrain in wet zone forests.</p>



<p>“We are not able to detect some of the encroachments on time, and these areas were subjected to permanent land use changes, thus reducing the forest area permanently,” Premakantha said.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>COVID-19 spurs use of Forest Watcher among the department</strong></h3>



<p>These limitations were only exacerbated when the lockdown closed all government entities considered non-essential, including the Department of Forest Conservation. According to Premakantha, “[Forest officers] were permitted to travel only when forest offenses were recorded. Therefore, routine patrolling was restricted at the time. This created a good opportunity for encroachers.”</p>



<p>The department couldn’t sit idly by knowing encroachments were happening because officers were unable to patrol. However, they didn’t have the evidence to justify going into the field to investigate. Premakantha turned to Global Forest Watch (GFW) as a solution.</p>



<p>A few officers in the department had used GFW prior to the pandemic, but it wasn’t widespread.</p>



<p>“Restrictions in moving were an eye opener for us,” Premakantha said.</p>



<p>Since the beginning of lockdown, the department has produced manuals for staff on GFW and the Forest Watcher mobile app. Now, Premakantha refers to GFW whenever the department receives a complaint from the general public or the media about deforestation. He uses GLAD deforestation alerts and satellite imagery on GFW to check whether encroachment has been detected. If forest loss has occurred, then officers investigate in person, and the department can stop further deforestation and take legal action before the forest loss becomes permanent.</p>



<p>In one case, Sirasa TV, a popular local news channel, reported on recent encroachments in the Chundankadu Forest Reserve, claiming that the department had not taken any action to address it.</p>



<p>Responding to this assertion, the department used GFW to identify four areas of encroachment. The locations were sent to officers of the Trincomalee District, where the forest reserve is located.</p>



<p>After investigation, they realized one area had been officially released by the department for use as an irrigation project. Another site of encroachment had been previously addressed by the department through legal reprimand. The last two locations were detected in the field using GLAD alerts, and the department was able to take legal actions to stop these encroachments from expanding.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1614" height="872" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Screen-Shot-2022-02-06-at-7.16.19-PM.png" alt="" class="wp-image-13678" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Screen-Shot-2022-02-06-at-7.16.19-PM.png 1614w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Screen-Shot-2022-02-06-at-7.16.19-PM-1024x553.png 1024w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Screen-Shot-2022-02-06-at-7.16.19-PM-768x415.png 768w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Screen-Shot-2022-02-06-at-7.16.19-PM-1536x830.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1614px) 100vw, 1614px" /></figure>



<p>The department head, Conservator General of Forests, W.A.C. Weragoda, recognized the utility of GFW and decided to institutionalize its use in the department’s monitoring systems starting in July. They have set up a system for officers to verify GLAD alerts, record instances of deforestation and report these areas back to the head office, which will address any corresponding illegal activity.</p>



<p>Premakantha has great ambitions for how GFW will affect forest monitoring moving forward. “We hope that these tools will allow us to detect and take timely actions against all the illegal encroachment activities without missing a single one,” Premakantha said.</p>



<style type="text/css"></style>

Satellite Data Helps Sri Lankan Forest Officers Patrol During Pandemic, at a Safe Distance

<p>On March 22, the entire country of Sri Lanka was placed under a <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.arabnews.com/node/1672851/world" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">strict two-month lockdown</a> to combat the rapidly spreading coronavirus. Although the move helped curb the spread of COVID-19 (to date, there have only been <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="http://asiantribune.com/node/94348" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">11 deaths</a> in country), the restrictions provided an opportunity for illegal loggers to encroach on nature preserves. For the Department of Forest Conservation, safely protecting Sri Lanka’s forests in the middle of a pandemic meant getting creative with satellite data and the Forest Watcher mobile app.</p>



<h3><strong>Monitoring Sri Lanka’s diverse forests</strong></h3>



<p>The country hosts between <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="https://fra-platform.herokuapp.com/LKA/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2 million</a> and <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="https://gfw.global/39lZB45" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">3.5 million </a>hectares of natural forest according to differing estimates. <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/dashboards/country/LKA?category=land-cover&amp;mainMap=eyJzaG93QW5hbHlzaXMiOnRydWV9&amp;map=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%3D&amp;menu=eyJkYXRhc2V0Q2F0ZWdvcnkiOiJsYW5kQ292ZXIiLCJtZW51U2VjdGlvbiI6ImRhdGFzZXRzIn0%3D&amp;treeLoss=eyJpbnRlcmFjdGlvbiI6e319&amp;treeLossPct=eyJpbnRlcmFjdGlvbiI6e319&amp;treeLossTsc=eyJpbnRlcmFjdGlvbiI6e319" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">596,000 hectares</a> of these are <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="https://gfw.global/3eTiD2Y" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ecologically significant primary rainforests</a>. The Department of Forest Conservation monitors two-thirds of this natural forest, which has been declared as protected area under the Forest Ordinance of Sri Lanka. An additional 300,000 hectares of shrubland also fall under its jurisdiction.</p>



<iframe width="315" height="460" frameborder="0" src="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/embed/widget/primaryForest/country/LKA"></iframe>



<p>Although Sri Lanka does not boast as much forest as larger nations like Indonesia, it is rich in <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237010403_The_National_Red_List_2012_of_Sri_Lanka_Conservation_Status_of_the_Fauna_and_Flora" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">biodiversity</a>. Sri Lanka’s forests are home to over <a href="http://www.earthsendangered.com/search-regions3.asp" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">30 endangered mammals</a>, including the <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/sri-lankan-elephant" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sri Lankan elephant</a>. Sri Lanka also has the <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237010403_The_National_Red_List_2012_of_Sri_Lanka_Conservation_Status_of_the_Fauna_and_Flora" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">highest species density</a> for flowering plants, amphibians, reptiles and mammals in the Asian region. &nbsp;</p>



<p>According to Tilak Premakantha, a Conservator of Forests in the Geo-informatics &amp; Forest Inventory of the department, these forests are mainly threatened by planned development. <a href="http://www.fao.org/3/ac791e/AC791E07.htm" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chena</a>, a native slash-and-burn, shifting cultivation practice that dates back centuries to early tribal societies, is another main driver of deforestation, along with <a href="https://gfw.global/2Z1ov5I" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">forestry and commodity production</a>.</p>



<p>Monitoring Sri Lanka’s forests for these threats is no easy feat even under normal conditions.</p>



<p>Prior to the pandemic, the department relied on a combination of routine patrolling, satellite imagery from Google Earth and reports from a network of community-based organizations and the general public. The forest officers responsible for investigating reports have other duties including running awareness programs on tree planting, forest plantation management and inventory and eco-tourism, so even at full capacity only about half of their time was ever dedicated to patrols. Conducting patrols is no easy task either, as forest officers could encounter anything from large elephant herds in dry zone forests to slippery hills that made for unpassable terrain in wet zone forests.</p>



<p>“We are not able to detect some of the encroachments on time, and these areas were subjected to permanent land use changes, thus reducing the forest area permanently,” Premakantha said.</p>



<h3><strong>COVID-19 spurs use of Forest Watcher among the department</strong></h3>



<p>These limitations were only exacerbated when the lockdown closed all government entities considered non-essential, including the Department of Forest Conservation. According to Premakantha, “[Forest officers] were permitted to travel only when forest offenses were recorded. Therefore, routine patrolling was restricted at the time. This created a good opportunity for encroachers.”</p>



<p>The department couldn't sit idly by knowing encroachments were happening because officers were unable to patrol. However, they didn’t have the evidence to justify going into the field to investigate. Premakantha turned to Global Forest Watch (GFW) as a solution.</p>



<p>A few officers in the department had used GFW prior to the pandemic, but it wasn’t widespread.</p>



<p>“Restrictions in moving were an eye opener for us,” Premakantha said.</p>



<p>Since the beginning of lockdown, the department has produced manuals for staff on GFW and the Forest Watcher mobile app. Now, Premakantha refers to GFW whenever the department receives a complaint from the general public or the media about deforestation. He uses GLAD deforestation alerts and satellite imagery on GFW to check whether encroachment has been detected. If forest loss has occurred, then officers investigate in person, and the department can stop further deforestation and take legal action before the forest loss becomes permanent.</p>



<p>In one case, Sirasa TV, a popular local news channel, reported on recent encroachments in the Chundankadu Forest Reserve, claiming that the department had not taken any action to address it.</p>



<p>Responding to this assertion, the department used GFW to identify four areas of encroachment. The locations were sent to officers of the Trincomalee District, where the forest reserve is located.</p>



<p>After investigation, they realized one area had been officially released by the department for use as an irrigation project. Another site of encroachment had been previously addressed by the department through legal reprimand. The last two locations were detected in the field using GLAD alerts, and the department was able to take legal actions to stop these encroachments from expanding.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Screen-Shot-2022-02-06-at-7.16.19-PM.png" alt="" class="wp-image-13678"/></figure>



<p>The department head, Conservator General of Forests, W.A.C. Weragoda, recognized the utility of GFW and decided to institutionalize its use in the department’s monitoring systems starting in July. They have set up a system for officers to verify GLAD alerts, record instances of deforestation and report these areas back to the head office, which will address any corresponding illegal activity.</p>



<p>Premakantha has great ambitions for how GFW will affect forest monitoring moving forward. “We hope that these tools will allow us to detect and take timely actions against all the illegal encroachment activities without missing a single one,” Premakantha said.</p>

Covid-19 gave illegal loggers an opportunity to encroach on protected forests in Sri Lanka. Forest Watcher is helping keep them at bay.