How AI is Protecting Trees from Illegal Logging in Real-Time
Illegal logging is the world's third-largest transnational crime, with an estimated annual economic value of US$50bn–US$150bn.
Tracked deforestation is a large historical contributer to global warming - now imagine the stats when incorporating illegal logging.
Rainforest Connection’s (RFCx) solar powered AI platform ‘Guardian’, enables the protection of forests and wildlife from illegal activities.
What is Guardian?
Guardian is a solar-powered acoustic streaming device that is placed high in tree-top canopies.
The purpose of Guardian is to constantly gather and monitor data on the surrounding area for processing and storage
Topher White, Founder and CEO of RFCx explains: “While we’re trying to help fight climate change, we have our own battle with nature. The rainforest is a terrible place to put an electronic device. It’s brutally hot, the sun is as dangerous to our devices as it is necessary to power them and termites will deconstruct everything they possibly can just for fun.
“Arm technology allows us to pick up all the sound of the forest 24 hours a day, package it up, and send it up into the cloud over any network that’s available, where we then use AI to analyse it. It plays a vital role in this constant connection between us and the rainforest and allows us to alert rangers of environmental threats in real time.”
When connected via GSM (Global Systems for Mobile communications), Guardian uploads a continuous recording of the surrounding environment’s soundscape, transmitting the audio in real-time to the cloud for instant analysis.
When the AI platform is connected via satellite, on-board analysis of audio is performed and alerts are transmitted in real-time.
The platform uses AI and machine learning to deliver rapid insight into what’s happening in vast forest ecosystems – identifying potentially harmful behavior, and helping on-the-ground rangers pinpoint and stop damaging activities as they occur.
How was the Guardian platform built?
The Guardians are configured from specialised solar panels, designed to capitalise on the thin and short lived band of sunlight that penetrate the tree canopies.
The platform is also built using highly-sensitive external microphones to capture all ambient sound within a radius of 50-1500m – depending on the source of the sound.
In addition to GSM and Wi-Fi, the device also comes built-in with satellite connectivity which enables the device to run onboard audio analysis and transmit alerts in real-time.
Guardian is made to withstand the weather, distance and permanency by including the following:
- IP66 weatherproof enclosure
- Wi-Fi, bluetooth and GPS
- Built-in satellite communications (SWARM)
- On-board accelerometer – prevents tampering
- Solar panel array capable of generating up to 30W of power
- Two on-board batteries with over 50WH of storage capacity
- Custom power board to manage battery charging and power delivery
- Custom designed frame to hold the solar panel array and protect guardian enclosure from the elements
- Custom designed aluminium ARM to facilitate mounting of the Guardian.
The impact RFCx has made
RFCx operates in 37 countries to date across 155 protected reserves, monitoring 736,200 hectares so far.
RFCx’s Guardian has been deployed in 587 canopies, equating to the protection of more than 1819,189 acres of land.
By using the Guardians' highly-sensitive microphones, the platform has collected 160 million audio recordings, distinguishing 4,208 species – 408 of which are near threatened, vulnerable, endangered and critically endangered.
The database allows for 955 species to be automatically detected in real time and with time this number will continue to rise.
Topher comments: “There is no solution to climate change unless we protect rainforests. That doesn’t mean that we regrow what we’ve lost. That doesn’t mean we can cut them down and then grow them back. It means they have to stay in place, as they are. That’s a fact, and it’s this fact that drives us.
“Our expanding network of Guardians can now be found in more than a dozen countries across five continents. Wherever there is a forest or a system worth monitoring, we are there. But, since climate change is happening right now, and we are experiencing extinction on a greater scale than ever before, our system isn't just about saving the rainforest. It’s about saving the sounds of the rainforest as they were, for posterity, so that we don’t completely miss out on what we’ve lost along the way.”
Protecting forests is essential in the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss.
By leveraging AI and real-time acoustic monitoring, RFCx’s Guardian platform is pioneering a scalable solution to combat illegal logging and safeguard vital ecosystems.
As technology continues to evolve, innovative approaches like these will be crucial in preserving our planet’s remaining rainforests, ensuring that their rich biodiversity and critical carbon storage functions remain intact.
The fight against deforestation isn’t just about conservation—it’s about securing a sustainable future for all.
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