New technology can play a catalytic role in promoting efforts to combat environmental crime. In this session, we received presentations from technology developers on supply chain tracing and the use of satellite technology and artificial intelligence to monitor forest use and criminal activity. Participants discussed where technology is already being successfully used, as well as the challenges for successful adoption of technology in fighting transnational organised crime groups.
For example, the Algoritmo para la Legalidad de Madera de la Amazonía (ALMA)1 marks an important milestone in the creation of technological tools to combat illegal logging and timber trade, using machine learning and the Random Forest Classifier (RFC) model. The project uses databases from official public information and is publicly accessible. It seeks to empower authorities, journalists, buyers and citizens in the identification and prevention of illegal timber trafficking, offering a continuous learning tool that facilitates responsible purchasing, research, and improves the control and control of timber forest products.
Tools that have been successfully applied in other regions can be tailored to the Amazon region. For example, the National Traceability System of Wood in Gabon (SNTBG) aims to track all timber products from stump to port, as well as make key forest data electronically available to the public. For this, a mobile application, web application, and geoportal have been designed to create digital records of every step in the supply chain and transition the sector from paper-based to digital permits. In transitioning to this system, Gabon also sets a new global standard for forest governance that allows consumers to trace timber products back to their point of origin along a digital, verifiable supply chain2.
The Timber Legality Observatory shows information on the Forest Management Plans (FMPs) approved with false information or non-existence of trees by the forestry authorities from 2005 to 2024. These PMFs were evidenced by the Supervisory Agency for Forest and Wildlife Resources (OSINFOR), through supervision carried out in the forest. Anyone with access to the internet can access the Observatory’s open database, in which it will be possible to identify the actors that participated in the approval process of these PMFs, as well as their respective spheres and networks of influence. They will also be able to find information on the number of non-existent trees and the unjustified volume (illegal timber mobilised and marketed with forest transport guides covered by the PMF)3.
Another supply chain mapping tool is Minespider’s Digital Product Passport4, a digital copy of a product that contains information about the materials across the entire supply chain, from raw material to the end-consumer. Digital Product Passports contain information about a product’s origins, important ESG data, carbon footprint, audits, environmental footprint and recycling information, as well as scans of official documents such as government licenses and lab reports. They can be used to track supply chain history, scope carbon emissions, satisfy ESG requirements, provide transparency about the product, and increase trust with customers, suppliers, investors, government, and other stakeholders.
The network Mapbiomas has extensive experience in mapping and monitoring of land cover and use. Formed in 2015 in Brazil alongside allies in NGOs, universities and tech companies, Mapbiomas uses remote sensing to manage natural resources and the territory. It has presence in 14 countries. With over 90 products developed thus far, every year Mapbiomas launches a new collection of data, including an early warning system for deforestation with high resolution images. Mapbiomas collects information that is detected by others and aggregates it in one unique platform that is publicly available. It cross-references information with land data and deforestation plans, to know if deforestation is legal or illegal and to know if it is related to illegal mining. This information is consolidated in an annual report.
Catching degradation early is very important for law enforcement in Brazil. The size and complexity of the territory, especially in the Amazon region, make it highly challenging for institutions such as the Federal Police to respond quickly and effectively to environmental crimes and other illicit activities. This is why Planet operates more than 200 satellites that together provide an unprecedented dataset of Earth observation imagery. With a unique combination of coverage, frequency, and resolution Planet delivers geospatial insights at the speed of change, helping local actors get the most nuanced understanding of changing ground conditions. Through the MAIS Program, the largest remote sensing operational project in Brazil, government agencies are able to gain access to Planet’s daily satellite imagery and change-detection alerts from SCCON. Access to this data allows Brazilian public institutions to investigate and fight against environmental crimes and other illicit activities in a faster, more efficient, and safer way5.
Amazon Conservation has an extensive history of tracking illegal gold mining in the Peruvian Amazon via their real-time satellite monitoring program, Monitoring of the Andes Amazon Program (MAAP). Over the years, they have continuously expanded their scope across all 9 countries of the Amazon, partnering with numerous local NGOs and civil society organisations who often utilise this information to take legal action against illegal gold mining and other harmful deforestation activities. Amazon Conservation was recently granted funding to improve real-time monitoring of illegal gold mining across the Amazon basin and advance mechanisms for using this information to improve law enforcement responses. With this grant, they will work directly with local authorities and civil society organisations in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru to improve collective abilities to quickly detect gold mining and protect key conservation areas and Indigenous territories throughout the Amazon Basin6.
Moving forward, it is important to analyse whether regulations could support the development of responsible mining in the region, who should bear the cost of implementing traceability system and how can we incorporate predictive analytics into the work in converging crimes in the Amazon. It is also fundamental to work within the market dynamics, changing the incentives in terms of supply and demand. Making the demand more discerning in favour of companies that can demonstrate adequate traceability of the supply chain and that do not promote illicit activities.