Citizen scientists are being trained in some of the most remote rainforests to help predict the effects of climate change and deforestation. The Rainforest Labs project set up by the charity, Cool Earth, uses tech that draws on data from imaging outfit Planet and its constellation of 200 satellites to create an early warning system. The indigenous-led climate action is run by “forest monitors”, who are trained by Cool Earth, thereby giving them control over their land and the future of their rainforests. The aim is to produce valuable data that will help forecast the impact of the changing climate and deforestation.
Peru’s Junín Province is among the areas where the Rainforest Labs has been in situ for the past two years. Forest monitors trained here predict a rapidly worsening trend of wildfires that will continue in 2024. Responding to this, Cool Earth is working alongside the Indigenous federation CARE (Central Ashaninka of the Rio Ene) to train communities in fire detection, management and monitoring and further north in Amazonas, Indigenous stewards working here are building a baseline forest inventory to measure the effects of commercial logging.
The programme expanded in 2023 to Papua New Guinea, where it’s considered a leading force in combatting the growing threat of deforestation by helping identify illegal logging roads in real-time. Regina Kewa, programme manager for Milne Bay Province in Papua New Guinea, said that engagement activities – including raising awareness in communities and schools – alongside biodiversity training and the Rainforest Lab project, are helping to manage the threat. Cool Earth plans to strengthen its support for partners on the ground, make the most of opportunities provided by data and act on them in 2024.
Matt Proctor, forest impacts lead at the charity, said that although challenges are increasing, the people who live in the rainforest are resilient, because of their exceptional knowledge of living in harmony with the forest. They also know how to protect the area for future generations. There is hope as the Rainforest Labs project draws on this knowledge to help these communities fight the challenges of the climate crisis.
Read the full article on Positive News here: Read More