A pioneering Scottish company is at the forefront of the race to save remote forests and endangered apes - by mapping trees from space.
Edinburgh-based Space Intelligence uses different types of satellite images combined with artificial intelligence and ecological expertise to create detailed maps with insights about tropical forests.
These data are used to monitor change, helping conservationists prevent deforestation and reduce carbon emitted into the atmosphere.
The work also protects the habitats of species like orangutans, as seen first hand by Space Intelligence chief executive Dr Murray Collins while working in Northern Sumatra’s Gunung Leuser National Park
Dr Collins said: “It really was a defining moment for me. I had only ever seen orangutans in a conservation setting, so to witness orangutans as they should be in their natural habitat was a real privilege. It underlined to me what’s at stake and why it's so important to develop sophisticated technology in the fight against climate change.”
Dr Collins has spent his career working to help save the rainforest, measuring thousands of trees and setting camera traps in remote areas, before moving into monitoring trees from space.
