Now Global Forest Watch 2.0 (GFW 2.0) is a powerful near real-time forest monitoring system that combines satellite technology, new algorithms, cloud computing, mobile phone technologies, maps and human networks around the world to fight illegal logging and deforestation. GFW 2.0 is a major breakthrough and new hope.It will create fast, online alerts that show when deforestation is taking place, particularly in remote locations. Currently, by the time satellite images of deforestation are viewed, the criminals are often far away as it takes around three to five years to produce a national forest cover map.
Some Key facts
- Our planet’s is linked to forests, which are a vital source of biodiversity and livelihoods. They are natural carbon sink and help in fighting climate change.
- More than 1.6 billion people depend on forests for their livelihoods, including 60 million indigenous people who are wholly dependent on forests.
- The loss of forests is responsible for up to 17 per cent of all human-made greenhouse gas emissions.
- Illegal activity accounts for 50 to 90 per cent of all logging in tropica countries, a criminal trade worth $30-100bn annually worldwide.
The social and economic benefits forests provide are vital to realising a sustainable future.
It will be interesting to watch whether this social innovation technology will make a difference to our ecosystem. Yet, what it has going for it is that it is a strong connected platform that will enable responsible companies, organisations media and progressive government leaders to hold those accountable for forest management and will force them to take action; and end illegal logging.
Let us Hope for the Best.
Sources:
Related articles
- Technology to the Rescue For Forests (sustainablebusiness.com)
- Saving the world’s forests: a technology revolution to curb illegal logging (guardian.co.uk)
- Not much protected and no commitment to restoration in APP forest promises (wwf.panda.org)
- Praise NASA’s Launching of New Satellite to Monitor Deforestation Rates (forcechange.com)
- Stop Illegal Deforestation of Madagascar (forcechange.com)
- American Forests Commits to Planting Almost Two Million Trees in 2013 (prweb.com)
- Resolving land conflicts is key to stopping deforestation (environmentalresearchweb.org)
28
