Indian state of Assam has recently decided to carry out drone surveys to check the authenticity of tree plantation drives. Around the world, the trend of using drones to check deforestation has been gaining momentum.
The government in the Indian state of Assam has decided to use drones to survey and check the authenticity of tree plantation drives and other similar programs in the state under Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) and other biodiversity projects. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stressed on the need to use technology to monitor the reforestation drive under the Assam Project for Forest and Biodiversity Conservation (APFBC) for quantifying the performance. “There is a need to increase the use of technology, like satellite imaging, to save species. This will also help check deforestation and the land under forest cover,” Sarma was quoted as saying.
Sarma added that the pandemic had taught the importance of oxygen and therefore, everyone must strive towards preserving Assam’s forests and biodiversity. The Chief Minister informed that massive reforms would be initiated soon to ensure that incidents like elephants’ death in Bamuni Hills in Nagaon, where rampant deforestation took place, do not reoccur.
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Growing concern
The problem of deforestation has become severe in recent years, and is today seen as a global concern. The World Economic Forum calls it “one of the greatest challenges facing the humanity”. According to them, it could lead to disastrous climate, which is already in a poor shape. According to reports, there are around 3 trillion trees on our planet and over 15 billion trees are cut every year. In the case of India, agriculture, commercial logging, mining, population explosion, and rapid urbanization are viewed as some of the main causes for deforestation.
Experts believe that drones can play an important role in keeping a check on deforestation. These devices can be used for surveys, and to create networks of sensors to boost data on forest ecosystems. They can also come handy to track hard-to-navigate biomes like the Amazon rainforest. Further, drones can collect video and photographic data, which can be used to create maps of land cover, monitor poaching and other illegal human activities, and can also track large animal population. Perhaps that is why organizations like the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) are using drones to save the world’s forest land.
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Picture elsewhere
Globally, many countries have adopted drones to protect their forests. For example, Thailand is using drones as a weapon against deforestation. The country is also experimenting with the idea of seed bombing or aerial reforestation. In July 2013, Thailand began a five-year pilot project to utilize aerial reforestation. The idea of aerial reforestation took shape in Japan using the ancient practice of tsuchi dango (earth dumpling). The concept was popularized in the 20th century. Malaysia’s Sarawak Forestry Corporation also went ahead with a similar initiative called GroDrone to enhance its forest management activities, which included monitoring and enforcement.
Similarly, to achieve its ambitious large-scale reforestation goals, Madagascar has also turned to the sky. The country uses drones to plant trees in isolated areas. The authorities initially planned to drop up to 400,000 tree seeds per day. Madagascar has lost 23% of its forests since 2000. According to Global Forest Watch, in total, 3.89 million hectares (9.6 million acres) were lost between 2001 and 2019, or nearly 205,000 ha (506,000 acres) per year. Conservationists fear that if the destruction continues at this rate, Madagascan forests won’t survive longer than a few.
Panama’s indigenous tribes have also turned to drones to protect their homes. Drones have proven helpful for them in monitoring areas where manpower is limited and the rainforest is vast. Use of drones will act as a savior as it can plant more seeds per hour as compared to other traditional methods.
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