Tracking deforestation from space

Tracking deforestation from space

From Backlight by Lighthouse Reports

June 30, 2025 · 31 min · Season 3 · Episode 8

About this episode

The episode discusses the use of remote sensing technology in investigating illegal deforestation in the Philippines.

From recording the scale of war damage in Gaza, to tracking environmental crime in Brazil, remote sensing technology has become an invaluable tool for journalists around the world. This month on Backlight we’re speaking to two journalists, Lu Min Lwin and Lucelle Bonzo, who spent months working alongside the Lighthouse team to investigate the biggest re-greening program in the Philippines. Using remote sensing analysis, they found widespread illegal deforestation across more than 100,000 sites that were supposed to be protected. They talk us through the methods behind the investigation, and share resources for journalists looking to incorporate remote sensing in their own work. Hosts: Beatriz Ramalho da Silva, Tessa Pang Sound design, mixing and editing: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spoovio - Audiovisual Productions⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BlueSky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ - and you can email us at backlight@lighthousereports.com

People in this episode

Hosts: Beatriz Ramalho da Silva, Tessa Pang

Guests: Lu Min Lwin, Lucelle Bonzo

Topics covered

  • deforestation
  • remote sensing
  • environmental crime
  • journalism
  • investigation
  • re-greening program

Keywords

  • deforestation
  • remote sensing
  • journalism
  • environmental crime
  • Philippines
  • investigation
  • Gaza
  • Brazil

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Lighthouse Reports

Places: Gaza, Brazil, Philippines

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