The Amazon stores between 150 and 200 billion tons of carbon. But, faces serious threats, such as forest degradation, recurrent fires, and deforestation. The threats are bringing it to a point of no return, and would have devastating repercussions at the local level and would seriously affect the planet's climate stability. WWF's Living Planet 2024 Report warns. 

Conserving the Amazon forest is an environmental priority and a strategic necessity to combat climate change.

Innovative and effective efforts are required to achieve this. One of them is Forest Foresight: a platform developed by WWF. It is possible to predict and combat illegal deforestation up to six months in advance with artificial intelligence (AI). This technology analyzes historical geospatial data, satellite images, and socioeconomic variables to forecast areas at risk. All of this, before environmental damage occurs. Forest Foresight has more than 70% reliability of accuracy.

"With this predictive capability, authorities and communities can make proactive decisions, reducing costs and avoiding irreversible losses. It represents a significant advance in the adoption of advanced technologies for forest conservation in Peru, strengthening the country's ability to face current and future environmental challenges," said Milton Huanca, Forest Management Officer at WWF Peru.

Authorities such as the National Forestry and Wildlife Service (SERFOR), the National Service of Natural Protected Areas (SERNANP), the Peruvian Armed Forces, the Public Ministry, among others, were trained in the practical use of Forest Foresight. They learned about the configuration of predictive models, the integration of socioeconomic and climate data, and the application of the results in decision-making for sustainable forest management.

"Thanks to Forest Foresight, now we can identify areas that could be deforested. This tool has become a powerful ally for SERFOR, facilitating our work to develop plans to mitigate deforestation situations throughout the Peruvian Amazon," said Martin Montoya, SERFOR's Information Technology Office Director.

The academics present highlighted the usefulness of teaching Forest Foresight at universities. It will facilitate future research, theses, undergraduate programs, and publications.

Participants are expected to acquire technical skills to implement Forest Foresight in their work areas, contributing to the efficient and sustainable management of forest resources in Peru. Additionally, the adoption of innovative technologies for monitoring and conserving Amazonian ecosystems will be promoted. This will strengthen collaboration between the government, academia, and local communities.