Satellite data helped indigenous Peruvians save rainforest: study

Preserving the Amazon's five million square kilometers (two million square miles) of rainforest is seen as vital in the fight against global climate catastrophe. — 123rf.com

WASHINGTON: Indigenous peoples patrolling the Peruvian Amazon equipped with smartphones and satellite data were able to drastically reduce illegal deforestation, according to the results of an experiment published Monday.

The study, which appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), showed that recognising indigenous people's rights to their territory can be a powerful force against the climate crisis, the authors said.