Global warming is one of the major issues our world is confronting with nowadays, and one of the key causes for this rapid climate change is deforestation. The clear cutting of our forests not only increases the level of carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere, but also jeopardizes many ecosystems that contribute to our planet’s well-being. Unfortunately this matter deals with high economic stakes, as many of the world’s largest companies are involved in logging operations, some of which act upon illegally. Is there anything that we can do to put an end to our imminent ‘suffocation’? Luckily, we have a powerful weapon that actually fits right in our pockets: smartphones.
The case of Romania
Since it adhered to the European Union in 2007 and opened its national economy to the global market, Romania has faced increasing timber trade, both legal and illegal, resulting in high potential for forest degradation. In light of the raised concerns by activists and other officials, the government has developed an app that tracks the transport of wood on local roads and has forced all wood merchants to embed it within their business models.
All the truck carriers from forests to warehouses, or to any other destinations, are now obliged to report their activity on this so-called WoodTracking app, which then issues a unique code based on their GPS location and the nature of the transported goods. All subsequent legal papers and waybills must stipulate this code, hence ensuring traceability all along the supply chain. Since log transportation can be distinguished by the naked eye, any person who sees a truck carrying wood can enter its license plates in the app. If the numbers on the registration plates don’t come up in the app, the person has to call the police because the transport could be illegal. Because all the companies operating in this industry have to operate under special conditions, the app has incorporated this database within its design, allowing police and other officials to cross-check for any irregularities. Ever since the app’s successful implementation, the government has had a clearer overview of the situation in Romania, and it can intervene whenever the app draws alarming statistics about the level of deforestation. Every citizen is now encouraged to take advantage of the connectivity of devices to the national database in order to prevent the illegalities that have degraded the country’s forests.
On a global scale
The situation is brighter also worldwide. Tropical countries, such as Peru and Ecuador have implemented acoustic sensors that listen for telltale indicators of deforestation – chainsaws, motorcycles, trucks, vehicles, etc. – and transmit the data to authorities. Other countries, such as Indonesia have provided park rangers with apps that are also connected to streaming servers of data, pinpointing the officials to live activities of deforestation detected using motion sensors.
The conclusion is straightforward: technology and big data are our means of fighting against global warming, as the connectivity capabilities can provide us with real-time facts of any kind issues that contribute to global scale disaster.
References
Knapp, H. D. (2016). Impressions of a Forest Excursion to Romania. European Wilderness Journal – Special.
Posirca, O. (2016, July 20). Romania’s government launches reporting app to stop illegal logging. Retrieved from Business Review: http://business-review.eu/news/romanias-government-launches-reporting-app-to-stop-illegal-logging-113226
Peter, L. (2015, May 21). Romania acts to save forests from logging spree. Retrieved from BBC News: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32792314
Grenoble, R. (2013, June 6). ‘Rainforest Connection’ Aims To Use Cell Phones To Stop Deforestation. Retrieved from Huffpost: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rainforest-connection-cell-phone-deforestation_n_3416288?guccounter=1
Nunez, C. (2019, February 7). Climate 101: Deforestation. Retrieved from National Geographic: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/deforestation/
Steer, A. (2017, January 18). Save the forests? There’s now a deforestation-tracking app for that. Retrieved from World Economic Forum: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/01/new-tool-tracks-deforestation-in-supply-chains/
Hi Mihai! First of all, I really enjoyed your blog. While reading it, however, I was a bit sceptical about the potential of the application introduced by the Romanian government. Even though the concept seemed appealing, I thought it would pose a big challenge to get citizens sufficiently involved. After all, the succes of the application is highly dependent on their contribution. Namely, as long as people do not report the transporting vehicles, there is no incentive for truck carriers to be truthful about their transportation. It seemed to me that the government should, aside from developing the app, actively attempt to create awareness amongst society in order for the app to work. Nevertheless, when I did some research on the topic, I discovered that the app already had 60,000 users in 2017 (https://www.romania-insider.com/app-enabling-romanians-track-timber-transports-reaches-60000-users), which should be enough to make an impact. Therefore, it can be stated that the app was not suffering under a lack of awareness and effort amongst citizens and actually caused a decrease in forest crimes of 47% in its first year (https://www.romania-insider.com/state-damages-forest-inspector-not-final). A year later, however, due to irregularities in the contract between the government, the developers and the tracking system, the app could no longer be updated and was therefore unable to provide users with the needed information. As a result, out of 6,000 reports, merely 17 cases turned out to be crimes. The led to the government blocking off the app. As a consequence, the government was ordered to pay a 100,000 euro fine to the app developer in August 2019 (https://www.romania-insider.com/state-damages-forest-inspector-not-final). What caused to government to not fully commit to making the app a success? Do you think this problem can still be solved? What would the consequences of the inactivity of the app be for deforestation? I would like to hear your thoughts!
Great article, I have never heard of this method to be honest. Regarding Romania, you said Every citizen is now encouraged to take advantage of the connectivity of devices to the national database in order to prevent the illegalities that have degraded the country’s forests. That’s the only part I am worried about, in many places people are afraid of confronting illegal groups. For instance, due to guns, physical violence and mental violence. So, the people that are living in that specific country need to feel free and willing to contribute to a better environment. Otherwise the app will not affect that much. But it can be a big step in the right direction.
Hi Mihai, Nice post! It’s great to read that there are so many new technological initiatives trying to protect the environment and our planet. Of course I understand the concerns regarding the app in Romania voiced by the previous commentators. However, seeing the number of users the app had is a good sign that people are actively trying to help. I think this app provides individuals with something concrete they can do to help the planet. Around me I hear so many people saying they want to help the environment, but they don’t know where to start. The app in Romania is a great place to start for individuals. I did a little digging into other technologies that are trying to prevent deforestation and came across the Global Forest Watch (https://www.globalforestwatch.org/). This is an organisation that created a tool that uses high-resolution NASA imagery to monitor deforestation in near-real time. They use this information to assist governments, conservation organisations concerned citizens in preventing deforestation. I think technological initiatives like this and the ones you described are a step in the right direction when it comes to the protection of our planet!