The World Breathes: Restoring the Amazon
Day: Wednesday 16 October
Time: 11:25 - 12:15 CEST
Location: Red Hall, Level 1, North Wing, MiCo Convention Centre
The panel will explore the growing contributions of small satellite constellations in safeguarding the Amazon rainforest. As the largest rainforest on Earth and home to more than 30 million people of 350 different ethnic groups, the Amazon biome has irreplaceable carbon stores and the globe’s highest rates of biodiversity. Experts from across several fields will dissect the multifaceted role these technological marvels play in monitoring deforestation, tracking illegal logging activities, informing endangered species conservation, and studying the impacts of climate change. The discussion will include how the data collected by these Earth Observation (EO) satellite constellations provide invaluable information for enforcing environmental laws, promoting sustainable land use practices, and implementing effective conservation strategies. Deforestation patterns also go hand in hand with the development of forest monitoring systems (using satellites), a practice that has increased in recent years is degradation, which today is the biggest contributor to CO2 emissions in the Amazon biome and it occupies a larger area within the biome compared to deforestation, 86% of degraded forest areas are not cleared in the following decades. Therefore, identifying degradation has a big impact on the conservation of its biome.
Understanding the root causes of the Amazon deforestation is key to solving the problem. Indeed, the protection of the Amazon involves an intersection of multiple approaches and considerations, including technology, environment, sustainability, Indigenous Peoples, climate, economy, and land development. Acting on this problem requires the availability of abundant, accurate, timely and actionable data to inform policy-making, law enforcement, environmental markets, and initiatives at the local and regional level.
Until very recently, a lack of reliable and timely EO data hampered conservation efforts and the enforcement of protection measures. The proliferation of EO small satellite constellations has enabled an unprecedented explosion and democratization of geospatial data from Space. With the availability of moderate-to-high resolution images passing multiple times a day over the same spot, it is now possible to keep track near real-time of the evolution of entire ecosystems, changes in the environment, and the effects of human activity on the ecosystem services. The combination of small satellite constellations and powerful data platforms to conduct effective analytics has become a game-changer for sustainability initiatives. The commoditization of EO data has ushered a new era of transparency and a call to action.
The panel will also discuss specific case studies demonstrating successful interventions facilitated by EO data, illustrating the tangible benefits of satellite technology in Sustainability and environmental protection efforts. Additionally, discussions will highlight the importance of international collaboration in satellite network operations, data sharing and awareness to ensure the Amazon's preservation. "Space Sustainability Guardians" promises to be a thought-provoking discussion, showcasing how small satellite constellations are becoming indispensable tools in the fight against deforestation, degradation, and climate change, offering hope for the Amazon rainforest's future.
