Rainforest Alert

Technology-Based Rainforest Protection

A proven, grassroots approach to preventing deforestation on Indigenous peoples’ lands: 52% reduction in forest loss in the first year alone.

Proven Impact

Here’s what a peer-reviewed study had to say about how the Rainforest Alert methodology can decrease deforestation on Indigenous peoples’ lands:

In the first year of the study alone, threatened Indigenous communities in the Peruvian Amazon saw a 52% reduction in forest loss.

Indigenous peoples who have access to satellite images and smartphones can reduce unauthorized deforestation in their territories.

Indigenous communities became more effective and efficient at detecting and addressing deforestation as it is happening.

Expanding Rainforest Alert across the Amazon could reduce carbon dioxide emissions generated from deforestation—and cost-effectively, at only $2 per acre per year.

How It Works

Rainforest Alert combines satellite imagery with investigations on foot to verify evidence of deforestation.

Indigenous forest patrollers are equipped with the information they need to better survey their lands against illegal activities, often in real time.

1

Detect

Forest loss is picked up by satellite and recorded in Global Forest Watch, a free web app.

2

Alert

Technicians in a regional data hub receive the deforestation alert and save the data to a memory card.

3

Transport

Couriers transport the memory card by boat to the affected, off-grid Indigenous community.

4

Investigate & Document

Forest patrollers travel to the site associated with the alert to investigate and document deforestation activity.

5

Action

Forest patrollers present evidence to community assemblies, who decide on an appropriate course of action.

Click on the map to download PDFs of RFUS’s current monitoring initiatives in the geographies where we work.

Media Coverage of Rainforest Alert

Indigenous Amazon Communities Fight Deforestation with New Early-Alert Tool

Satellite data helped indigenous Peruvians save rainforest: study

Peru’s indigenous tribes use tech tools to track Amazon deforestation

Climate change: Technology boosts efforts to curb tree loss in Amazon

Satellite data helped indigenous Peruvians save rainforest: study

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