MANILA: Telecommunications firm PLDT has joined stakeholders in the government and private sectors in the deployment of a monitoring system in the forests of Taytay, Palawan to identify illegal activities in the area such as illegal logging.
In a statement on Wednesday, PLDT said the technology, developed by US-based non-profit organization Rainforest Connection (RFCx), aims to reinforce local forest conservation efforts and support enforcement of environmental laws.
‘Powered by solar energy, RFCx Guardians are installed high in canopies of trees and equipped with the capacity to capture sounds within a 3-kilometer radius. Collected data is transmitted via wireless technology to the cloud for analysis using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning technology, allowing for the identification of possible illegal activities,’ it said.
Using the system and through a connected platform called ‘Arbimon,’ forest rangers will be able to monitor a wider area more efficiently, otherwise near impossible when on f
oot.
‘With access to analyzed data from the Guardians, the rangers have access to improved threat intelligence, allowing them to zero in on specific areas and helping facilitate corresponding action to stop illegal activities in protected forests,’ it said.
The project is a partnership between PLDT, its wireless subsidiary Smart, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of Information and Communications Technology, and Huawei.
‘Together with our social outreach arm, the PLDT-Smart Foundation, we are proud to be part of this project that uses communications technology to support and reinforce critical efforts to preserve and protect forests in the country,’ it said.
These devices, it said, have been installed in select forest areas of Palawan since 2020 and have led to an increase in apprehension and a decrease in illegal activities.
Source: Philippines News Agency