Tropical forestry and agroforestry markets are significant and growing rapidly, as demand for food, fuel, timber and other agroforest products grows with the rising global population. Despite increased global environmental monitoring and a growing demand for eco-friendly and sustainable products and practices, tropical forests declined by 6.3 million hectares every year between 2010 and 2020 and illegal logging remains a significant challenge. Recognising the need to provide timely and accurate information to help forest managers combat illegal logging effectively, Dutch social enterprise Space4Good has developed the FORESTER service, powered by ILDAP (Illegal Logging Detection and Prediction) algorithms, a project supported by ESA’s Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) programme.
Following on from a successful Kickstart activity focusing on deforestation, in 2022 Space4Good launched the ILDAP Demonstration Project, working with ESA BASS and the Arsari Enviro Group to develop a new platform. Arsari sustainably manages and conserves hundreds of thousands of hectares of forest in Indonesia and has suffered ongoing issues with illegal logging and land theft. A section of this forest was chosen as the pilot site as it has areas of virgin forest providing habitats for many endangered species as well as a long history of logging.
FORESTER combines Artificial Intelligence, Geographic Information Systems and remote sensing data analytics to create cost effective and accessible insights with unprecedented accuracy and precision. The use of satellite data from Sentinel 1 overcomes the challenges of monitoring tropical regions with extensive cloud cover as it can penetrate clouds to identify changes in the forest structure. After FORESTER triggers a deforestation alert, forest managers and their ground patrols can then verify these incidents. This can be done through field observation or drones which enables swift confirmation and direct action against illegal logging and wildfire.
The system also offers advanced predictive modelling, tailored to the local context, which can identify potential sites for illegal encroachment and logging incidents. This unique approach enables users to take preventative measures and allocate resources effectively, including engaging with local communities or increasing patrols in the area.
During the trial period, deforestation decreased by an astonishing 80% within the pilot area, saving 3000 ha of natural forest, at the same time as deforestation events in a nearby Indonesian province increased. In total, 177 deforestation events were identified, and two major encroachments were found and acted upon by local enforcement agencies.
Beatrice Barresi, Senior Sustainable Applications Officer for ESA, said “we are very pleased to have supported this important project which has real potential to protect significant areas of valuable forest around the world.”
The FORESTER Service provides users with the information they need to support proactive approaches to forest management, enabling effective mitigation of wildlife crimes, reducing operational costs and preserving biodiversity and carbon stocks. By providing a single source of transparent, accurate and up-to-date information for forest managers, local communities, indigenous people and conservation project developers, the service also develops trust and facilitates better forest stewardship .
“With FORESTER we aim to empower rainforest guardians in their fight against illegal logging with a powerful tool, tailored for ground teams, that can help them better respond to threats and coordinate around forest protection” said Alexander Gunkel, Managing Director and Founder of Space4Good.
The platform is now ready for operation and a new pilot in Ecuador, the Maquipucuna Reserve situated in the central area of the Andean Bear Ecological Corridor, has already been signed. Space4Good plans to extend its pilot campaign to other areas and organisations and to launch the ILDAP/Space4Good FORESTER as an ‘off the shelf’ service by the end of the year.
Ongoing developments in FORESTER’s insights, alerts and predictions will support the restoration of global tropical forests, and offer protection against the increased risks of fire, drought and diseases due to climate change. Through its service, FORESTER will also ease documentation and risk mitigation efforts in nature credit development. By supporting the connection between green finance and forest stewardship, FORESTER can help reduce the economic pressure on forests, contributing towards the United Nations deforestation objectives and conserving biodiversity and endangered species.