Eyes in the sky spy on threatened jungles

In the two minutes it takes to read this story, an area the size of 60 football pitches will have been clear-cut by illegal loggers globally, according to Chatham House, an independent policy institute in London. Catching the loggers and their bosses has long been a problem because of corruption, lax law enforcement and limited ability to detect the crime quickly. Satellite monitoring is changing that. Powerful eyes in the sky and cheaper and more powerful data-crunching computers mean there will be no place to hide for palm oil, logging or mining firms that clear without permits or outside their concessions. Higher resolution satellite imaging and near-real time analysis will mean investors, green groups, law enforcement agencies and the public can monitor any patch of forest. Washington-based World Resources Institute plans to launch an upgraded version of Global Forest Watch, a free Web-based service, either later this year or early in 2013. Using a NASA satellite, the service will focus on tropical areas of the globe with an image resolution of 500 metres by 500 metres every 16 days. Users can choose an area of interest and be alerted by e-mail about any changes in tree cover. The Global Forest Watch tool, supported by Google and the University of Maryland among others, will also contain data about logging or agricultural licences and their owners, protected areas, infrastructure and other details...more