A fiery sky at sunset over a rainforest canopy in Monteverde Cloud Forest and Reserve in the Costa ... [+]
Life in Monteverde, Costa Rica, is rich with tropical forests filled with rare birds and many plants. But like most Latin American countries, Costa Rica suffers from deforestation — the kind of thing that could suck the life out of its economy. In 2022, the country lost roughly 5 square miles of natural forests, equating to the release of 4.5 million tons of CO2 emissions.
I'm introduced to indigenous peoples and exotic wildlife when I visit Latin America and the rainforests. I see regulated logging. However, I’ve never witnessed illegal logging—only its aftermath. Now, though, artificial intelligence (AI) and satellite imagery are giving monitors a bird's-eye view of such treasured places so that they can better protect them.
AI and satellites “allow for unprecedented insight into tropical forests and all of earth’s ecosystems. We — and other groups — are investing heavily in tools that will allow us to track and respond rapidly to the threats of deforestation. This data will allow markets and governments to invest in conserving and restoring nature for climate, biodiversity, and social impact. We are at the beginning of a revolution on this front,” says Diego Saez-Gil, the founder of Pachama, in a chat.
His outfit uses AI to determine the forest's carbon content. The satellite data shows the trees standing and the level of deforestation that may have occurred, which can affect carbon accounting.
The technologies make it easier for companies and countries to get the financing they need to stop deforestation and start regeneration projects that sequester carbon. How? By measuring the environmental impact of reforestation and conservation projects. It does so by acquiring multiple data sets from satellite imagery, manually-created field plots, and 3-dimensional images of forests. It then uses AI to combine and process the information to determine how much CO2 the forest stores.
The Threats Continue
View of a burnt are of the Amazonia rainforest in Apui, southern Amazonas State, Brazil, on ... [+]
Take Mercado Libre, considered the Amazon
Since 2021, it has invested $18 million to provide essential startup funding to six restoration projects across Brazil and Mexico. That equates to nearly 15,000 acres — projects that will sequester about 900,000 tons of CO2 equivalent over 25 years through the restoration of more than 10 million trees. It partners with Pachama, aiming to expand to 18 countries.
Imazon is a similar enterprise that seeks to prevent deforestation in Brazil before it happens. It first looks at trends and historical data to know where to place resources. The factors contributing to preservation include topography, land access, and the number of indigenous peoples.
Imazon has partnered with Microsoft
Governments can also use these tools to predict and detect deforestation, measure carbon stocks, and monitor efforts to conserve and restore their natural ecosystems. This can help them access climate finance from the public and private sectors. According to Imazon, Brazil's deforestation rate dropped by 62% between 2022 and 2023. However, deforestation levels still equate to roughly 1,100 football fields a day.
The threats continue. The Amazon spans nine countries, sustaining people and wildlife while absorbing heat-trapping emissions and regulating water cycles. Illegal logging, cattle ranching, and farming have led to a 20% loss in the Amazon, and up to 27% is at risk if nothing changes. To that end, The Alexander von Humboldt Institute in Bogotá, Colombia, and Microsoft are joining forces to combat deforestation using AI and satellite imagery.
“We know where deforestation is. We know that control and enforcement is the most immediate action we can take,” says Thelma Krug, former vice chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. “We provide daily information by using satellites. We have images to identify deforestation. And we give warnings.”
But as she explained to me, “it is a war” — a costly form of policing. “Most of the time, we are dealing with organized criminals — who have the same information we do. By the time we get there, they have run away. So we blow up the equipment they have left behind: the helicopters and aircraft. Both sides may get killed.”
The rainforests may represent serenity for some. But for those protecting them, it’s tantamount to a war zone. Enter AI and satellites, which are fighting climate change and restoring biodiversity.
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