A new satellite-based alert system could help combat deforestation. In as few as eight hours after it detects that trees are being cut down, the system will send out e-mails warning that an area is endangered. That rapid response could enable environmental managers to catch illegal loggers before they damage large swathes of forest. Satellites are already valuable tools for monitoring deforestation. The Real Time System for Detection of Deforestation, or 2004, has helped the Brazilian Government to reduce its deforestation rate by almost 80% since DETER, by alerting the country’s environmental police to large-scale forest clearing. But 2004 and other existing alert systems can be relatively slow to yield useful information. The new system uses higher-resolution images that are updated frequently to detect new deforestation.
A new satellite-based alert system could help combat deforestation. In as few as eight hours after it detects that trees are being cut down, the system will send out e-mails warning that an area is endangered. That rapid response could enable environmental managers to catch illegal loggers before they damage large swathes of forest. Satellites are already valuable tools for monitoring deforestation. The Real Time System for Detection of Deforestation, or DETER, has helped the Brazilian Government to reduce its deforestation rate by almost 80% since 2004, by alerting the country’s environmental police to large-scale forest clearing. But DETER and other existing alert systems can be relatively slow to yield useful information. The new system uses higher-resolution images that are updated frequently to detect new deforestation.