VIDEO: Patrol the Leuser Ecosystem with Forest Defenders at HAkA

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 (HAkA), 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. 

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.