WILDLABS logoWildlabs.net : The conservation technology network

WILDLABS logoWildlabs.net : The conservation technology network

discussion / AI for Conservation  / 21 April 2025

Drone & ai use for uncovering illegal logging camps

Adam

Adam

Counter Wildlife Trafficking manager, practitioner, researcher. Exploring novels ways to counter wildlife trafficking from the ground up.

Groups

Hi all,

I am working with WCS in Cambodia, and am curious as to whether anyone has used combinations of drone / ai / radar tech to uncover illegal logging camps in forest environments? Possibly through radar identification of metal objects (truck / chainsaw / machete / chains etc). This is something I would love to explore with anyone possessing any knowledge!

 

Cheers!



Sean Hill
@SeanHill
My name is Sean Hill and I have been using off the shelf consumer drones and open source photogrammetry and Geographic Information Systems Software (GIS) since 2019 for conservation purposes. As of 2024 I have started an online training platform called GeoWing Academy
Involvement level 1
Educator_Level_1
Poster level 1

21 April 2025 12:49pm

Hi Adam! 

Sounds like you have your work cut out for you. I have not used radar systems or AI systems for this sort of detection, but there are methods using change detection models to visualise changes in forests where logging may be occuring between different dates using drone photogrammetry and GIS software. I have found these methods very effective when monitoring deforestation, especially because not only can you quickly visualise where deforestation has happened, but you can also quantify the damage at the same time. Let me know if you would like to learn more.

 

Kind regards

Sean Hill