Technology that helps identify illegal logging in Peru’s rainforests has been developed by a team from the University of Sheffield.
Illegal logging is when trees are cut down and timber is transported in violation of the country’s laws. Peru’s rainforests are extremely valuable in fighting against climate change, by storing carbon and supporting biodiversity.
The technology uses satellite data to detect subtle changes in the rainforest canopy, Dr Robert Bryant, from the University of Sheffield’s School of Geography and Planning, said: “Until now satellite imaging has been unable to reliably identify the much more subtle signs of selective logging and forest degradation which is widespread.
“So using pre- and post-logging imagery from Amata Brazil, a forest management company, we developed a bespoke machine learning tool that could identify each instance of selective logging.”
Peru’s independent forestry commission (OSINFOR) says the tech has so far identified as much as 37% of all reported illegal logging across 1.8 hectares of its rainforests.
OSINFOR has planned to use the tools to improve their monitoring as part of its ongoing work with local agencies and local teams to deter illegal logging behaviours, and protect and conserve the rainforest.
Between 2023 and 2024, the use of the tools led to the seizure of over 41,000 m3 of illegal wood, with a market value of in excess of $19 Million.
Dr Matthew Hethcoat, Research scientist at the Canadian Forest Service who helped develop the technology, called the project a ‘game changer’.
He said: “This allows enforcement agencies to focus their efforts and resources where they’re needed most, saving time, reducing costs, and minimizing risk to personnel.
“The partnership between Sheffield and Peruvian agencies is a powerful example of how smart, targeted innovation can transform how we can use technology to safeguard forests that are vital to the climate, biodiversity, and local livelihoods.
“We live in an amazing and a troubling time in human history. We’re facing a myriad of really big environmental challenges. Simultaneously, we have access to information and tools in a way that we just haven’t had before.”
It will ultimately help Peru prosecute offenders, leverage fines and build the capacity to fight illegal logging.
Williams Arellano, Chief of OSINFOR, said: “We are all committed to the sustainability of the Peruvian Amazon forests. Recently, two Peruvian specialists traveled to England to learn about this new technology and their experience is already being implemented in our agency for the effective and timely monitoring of forest resources.”
The team from the University of Sheffield’s Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures worked with the World Resources Institute, a world leader in global forest monitoring to develop the tools.
