See examples of our work across three continents
We can use technology and big data to enable on-the-ground partners to save the world’s most threatened rainforests and habitats. Saving rainforests isn’t only the key to halting climate change, It’s also vital to supporting many of the world’s poorest communities who rely on rainforests for food, shelter and livelihood. (click on icon to switch country)
Alto Mayo, Peru
The biodiversity of Peru’s Alto Mayo rainforest is slowly being whittled away by systemic illegal logging, poaching, and drug trafficking. Working in conjunction with Conservation International (CI) and Peruvian government rangers, Rainforest Connection is testing an acoustic alert system that listens for telltale indicators of deforestation (chainsaws) or animal poaching (motorcycles) – as well as for trucks and vehicles that indicate narco-trafficking.
Cerro Blanco, Ecuador
One of Ecuador’s most diverse rainforest preserves, Cerro Blanco lies in close proximity to the sprawling metropolis of Guayaquil. As a result, it faces threats from deforestation, poaching, and urban encroachment. In concert with Fundacíon Pro Bosque (FPB), RFCx has set up a system to monitor for illegal chainsaws and poaching in real-time. In addition to helping better protect 10,000 hectares of rainforest, our system also streams 1.8 gigabytes of data per day, giving scientists and conservationists a means of keeping track of endangered wildlife. This project includes real-time alerts and data analysis for several species of rare parrots, assisting local rangers and biologists by helping them monitor endangered species and safeguard their habitat from poachers.
Tembé Tribal Reserve, Northern Brazil
Due to scarcity of numbers, the Tembé people of northern Brazil have found it difficult to put an end to large scale illegal logging, poaching, and drug smuggling operations in remote areas of their ancestral rainforests. Based on our 2015 pilot, the Tembe have asked RFCx to deploy a permanent system to help them protect the rainforest reserve - a monitoring system that can act as a force multiplier for a handful of trained Tembe Rangers. Our 2018/19 focus includes deploying and expanding this system to alert Tembé Rangers to indications of illegal logging (chainsaws), poaching (motorcycles), and smuggling (trucks/vehicles). Moreover, our system has already created a host of wifi hotspots in remote areas that has allowed the tribe to communicate more effectively among themselves - as well as with the outside world, erasing the digital divide.
Cameroon
Home to some of the world’s most richly dense rainforests, Cameroon is no stranger to illegal logging and poaching at an industrial scale. In partnership with the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and a local sustainable logging company named Rougier, Rainforest Connection set up an acoustic monitoring to demonstrate our system could assist local park rangers in detecting unauthorized activities in protected areas that included the poaching of chimpanzees, gorillas, elephants and a host of other endangered birds.
Sumatra
Illegal deforestation continues to endanger the native habitat of Sumatra’s gibbons – even in designated nature preserves. Working in concert with the Kalaweit Supayang Gibbons Reserve, Rainforest Connection pioneered an acoustic monitoring system that could detect the sound of chainsaws in the cacophony of the jungle – and instantly alert park rangers to the source of the noise. Right from the start, the results were remarkable: For the first time ever, staff members on the Reserve found themselves able to confront illegal loggers live and in person – and shut down their operations.
