There is a window of opportunity for preventing further biodiversity loss and halting deforestation in the EU and beyond, and artificial intelligence can help us seize it. This was the key message delivered by Huawei during the online discussion organised by PubAffairs Bruxelles today (24 June), writes Philip Herd
“A key driver of deforestation, particularly here in Europe, is farming. Globally, 80 % of deforestation is a result of the industrialisation and centralisation of farming, and of overproduction in the agriculture sector. Here, AI – and Huawei – can play a role in changing the landscape – literally,” said Huawei EU Public Affairs Senior Manager Angeliki Dedopoulou.
She outlined some of the company’s flagship initiatives in this field. Huawei Rural Star – a low-cost, easy-to-erect rural connectivity base station – enables farmers to use the potential of 5G and AI systems for crop management and distribution, reducing overproduction and waste.
Huawei also works with the Rainforest Connection to save threatened species, using advanced AI services to accurately identify and analyse noise patterns related to illegal logging and the habitat of spider monkeys.
Bottom-up approach
“None of this is possible without connection. But also, none of it is possible without access to the technology and the skills required to use it to its full potential,” Dedopoulou stressed, calling on policy makers to target investments at the local level and involve local communities in such initiatives.
The EU is placing a key focus on forests in its Green Deal. The European Commission has pledged to prepare a new Forest Strategy to fight deforestation inside and outside of Europe.
Against this backdrop, the online event ‘Forest protection, biodiversity and artificial intelligence: what challenges ahead?’ brought together policy-makers, the scientific community, the private sector and NGOs to discuss the challenges ahead in this field.
About Huawei
Huawei is a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices. With integrated solutions across four key domains – telecom networks, IT, smart devices, and cloud services – Huawei is committed to bringing digital to every person, home and organisation for a fully connected, intelligent world.
Huawei’s end-to-end portfolio of products, solutions and services are both competitive and secure. Through open collaboration with ecosystem partners, Huawei creates lasting value for our customers, working to empower people, enrich home life, and inspire innovation in organisations of all shapes and sizes.
At Huawei, innovation focuses on customer needs. Huawei invests heavily in basic research, concentrating on technological breakthroughs that drive the world forward. Huawei has more than 194,000 employees and operates in over 170 countries and regions. Founded in 1987, Huawei is a private company fully owned by its employees.
In Europe, Huawei currently employs over 13,300 staff and runs two regional offices and 23 R&D sites. So far, Huawei has established 230 technical cooperation projects and has partnered with over 150 universities across Europe.