Malaysia's forests have been dwindling at a rapid rate. During the 1990s, 13 percent of its forests disappeared, with illegal logging as a major culprit. Now, the country's government is fighting back - with satellites.
The satellites will capture images to create a forest inventory, allowing the government to supervise any logging and to determine if it's illegal. The government hopes that in addition to stopping illegal logging the "eye in the sky" program will also help prevent air pollution by detecting forest fires and illegal land clearing.
Along with the program, the Malaysian government has pledged to be more cautious when approving logging licenses so that the country's timber will remain a viable export without negative criticisms and without contributing to global warming.
The program is currently in place in the western peninsular part of Malaysia with plans to cover the entire nation. With so many of the world's forests falling from illegal logging, it's wonderful to see a country taking real action to prevent it. I hope this works.
written by Tom, January 06, 2009
written by free articles, May 12, 2010
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