Community-based Forest Monitoring in Peru

The Amazon Rainforest stands as a sanctuary, harbouring around 40% of Earth's remaining tropical forests and offering sanctuary to 10% of the species. It plays a crucial role in regulating both continental and global climates, serving as a carbon sink holding 76 billion tonnes of carbon within its 390 billion trees.

However, despite its ecological importance, the region faces pressures from deforestation driven by agricultural expansion, resource extraction, and urbanization spurred by rapid development across South America.

Tropical forests, in particular, are vital in combating climate change while also providing essential ecosystem services that sustain local and rural communities, such as the extraction of the Brazil nut. But, the ever increasing demand for natural resources, urban expansion, agricultural activities (both commercial and subsistence), timber harvesting, resource extraction and livestock grazing have led to widespread deforestation, fragmentation of landscapes, and habitat loss. These human-induced changes to land use, particularly deforestation, stand as the second largest source of anthropogenic CO2 emissions, predominantly in tropical regions (IPCC 2013). Consequently, the diminishing size of tropical forests poses a significant threat to their crucial role as carbon sinks.

 Deforestation is one of the main drivers of climate change, and reversely, intact forests can store carbon to counteract some effects of climate change. The amazon basin, as the biggest forest system in the world is vital to balance the worlds climate. However the deforestation in the Amazon is continuously advancing further, driven by the need for new land, no access to resources elsewhere, hope of a new life or the promise of easy money and resource extraction for exportation.

In Madre de Dios, deforestation is on the rise, particularly due to Gold mining, both legally and illegally and the extraction of forest resources as timber, or cattle raising.

Illegal mining in Madre de Dios, Peru, has been a significant and controversial issue for years. It has become notorious for illegal gold mining, which has devastating environmental and social impacts.

Mining in Madre de Dios result in deforestation, soil erosion, water pollution, and habitat destruction. The heavy use of mercury, a toxic substance used to separate gold from other materials, has led to widespread contamination of waterways and ecosystems, posing serious health risks to both wildlife and local communities.

Efforts to combat illegal mining and deforestation in the region have been challenging due to the remote and rugged terrain, as well as corruption and inadequate enforcement of regulations. However, the Peruvian government, along with various environmental organizations and international partners, has been working to address the issue through law enforcement, reforestation initiatives, and alternative livelihood programs for affected communities.

Local and indigenous communities are frontline warriors in the battle against deforestation and climate change, holding significant power to reduce carbon emissions. Research has shown that indigenous communities in the Amazon have successfully lowered forest carbon emissions and decreased deforestation rates.

To facilitate the forest monitoring, we use Open Data Kit (ODK). It is a set of free and open-source tools that allows users to create, collect, and manage data using mobile devices. It's particularly useful in settings where internet connectivity may be limited or non-existent.

By utilizing ODK for forest monitoring, communities can gather real-time data on deforestation, illegal logging, wildlife populations, and other environmental indicators. This data can then be shared with relevant stakeholders, including government agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and researchers, to support evidence-based policy-making and advocacy efforts.