Satellite monitoring technology is helping to protect Brazil’s Amazonian rainforest. Sensitive ecosystems in other developing economies could also benefit from adopting the country’s deforestation reduction model, according to a study conducted by two University of Toronto researchers and their co-authors. The model combines satellite monitoring with a targeted location-based policy that includes prompt inspections of newly cleared forest areas and quick enforcement measures, including fines. Analysis of the data found that the model reduced deforestation by 43% and cut emissions by almost 50 million tons of carbon. [Read more…]