Sensor Technology Protects Vulnerable Rainforests

Often when I have the chance to meet companies at exhibitions and other events, one of the things that makes them proudest of their workplace is its environmental credentials. Usually they don’t have much of a chance to talk about many details apart from the how the efficiency of their products lowers power usage, or maybe that the products are intended for renewable applications or EVs. Unfortunately, their customers usually demand an NDA to protect their own IP, which stops the manufacturer talking about specific product applications and their environmental impacts. There are a great number of applications out there that demonstrate how electronics have the ability to change the world for the better, but getting the details is harder.

Fortunately a few examples do manage to escape into the wild, like this one from Infineon announcing the extension of its collaboration with the NGO Rainforest Connection (RFCx). The two organizations will continue to monitor vulnerable regions of our earth with modern sensor technology. The preservation of rainforests is crucial to prevent climate change. However, illegal deforestation and wildfires threaten its existence.

To monitor the rainforest, Guardian devices powered by solar electricity are used to transmit live sound recordings. AI analyzes the data, detecting sounds of threats. For example, if the sound of chainsaws is detected, rangers are alerted and directed to the location. This technique provides the ability for the rangers to monitor much larger areas of the rainforest for illegal logging. Rainforest Connection Rainforest Connection has deployed over 500 of these devices in 30 countries to date, with active projects currently in 25 countries.

The hardware can also be used to monitor biodiversity, such as the presence of primates, birds, frogs, insects, and bats. Rainforest Connection has collected more than 92 million minutes of sound recordings, including numerous recordings of endangered and endemic species. These recordings have proven valuable for scientific research and informing conservation impact on the ground.

To enhance the hardware to allow the devices to “hear” and also “smell,” both partners are collaborating to equip a number of Guardian devices with Infineon's XENSIV PAS CO2 sensor. This will allow Rainforest Connection to expand the database for recording biodiversity and link sound recordings with other information including temperature, humidity, ozone and now CO2.

Ten of the new devices have already been deployed in Brazil during the summer of 2022. The deployment showed that the CO 2 sensor provides additional data to help monitor biodiversity. The teams will also explore how advanced sensors can be used to detect wildfires. However, this will require further analysis using artificial intelligence. There are plans for further testing in 2023.

“By using gas sensors, we can link acoustic information about the biodiversity on site with information about the microclimate,” said Bourhan Yassin, CEO at Rainforest Connection. “This allows completely new insights into what effects, for example, climate change has on the particularly vulnerable regions of our planet. The recent Kunming-Montreal deal validates the importance and urgency of allocating more resources to better preserve and protect our forests and biodiversity, and our Guardian acoustic monitoring hardware powered by Infineon sensor technology helps us do just that.”