Earth Observation
Data collection through satellite imagery, among other data spatial data, offer a more comprehensive picture of environmental trends as they relate to specific locations.
Resources
DRC: DRC Uses Geoscience Data to Strengthen Oversight of Mining Sector
International
The Democratic Republic of Congo has launched a new program to strengthen oversight of its mining sector by improving the production and use of geoscientific…
Sudan: Drones Hammer Sudan’s Gold and Oil Zone – the Pivotal New Front Line
International
Intensified drone attacks on the new front line of Sudan’s civil war have led to mass civilian casualties in recent weeks and are increasingly shaping…
Liberia: Digital Mapping Key to Urbanization
International
Geospatial experts in Liberia are urging the government to prioritize digital mapping as a key tool for urban development, saying the technology could transform city…
Monitoring Sudan’s Artisanal and Small Scale Gold Mining from Space
Blog
Gold is helping fuel the war in Sudan, and its extraction is causing environmental degradation and chemical pollution that threatens human health.
Fishers' Rights Matter: Mapping Small-Scale Fisheries Landing and Smoking Sites in Liberia to Assess Environmental and Legal Risks to Their Tenure Rights
Library
Liberia’s small-scale fisheries are the backbone of coastal livelihoods, but they face mounting threats from coastal erosion, mangrove destruction, and insecure land rights. Fishing communities’…
Myanmar: Satellite Data Show Burst of Deforestation in Myanmar Rare Earth Mining Hotspots
International
Myanmar’s Kachin state, near the border with China, is a global hub for rare earth minerals. But the dearth of regulations over mining these resources…
Understanding Conflict through Satellite Imagery
Briefs & Development
In recent years, high-resolution satellite imagery and geospatial analysis have become increasingly valuable tools in documenting the effects of conflict, including the widespread destruction of…
Conflict-Monitoring Collective Wins European Space Agency Earth Observation Excellence Award
Blog
The Decentralized Damage Mapping Group — an international collective of academics and civil society organisations — has advanced the use of satellite analysis to document the…
Liberia: EPA, Partners Launch Geospatial Training to Boost Forest Monitoring
International
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Liberia, in collaboration with Novasphere, has launched a one-week geospatial training program aimed at enhancing forest monitoring capabilities. Hosted…
Afghanistan: How Data Analysis, Community Engagement, and GIS Delivered a Reliable Water Source to an Afghan Community
International
In early 2024, the Afghanistan Value Chains Program (AVCP), funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), launched an initiative in northern Afghanistan aimed…
Afghanistan: Geospatial Analysis Conveys Current Conditions under the Taliban
Blog
When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, one of its first policies was to ban poppy cultivation. The halt in a trade…
Laos: New Data on Agent Orange Use during the US’s Secret War in Laos
Blog
During the Vietnam War, the US military sprayed more than 74 million litres of Agent Orange and other herbicides, causing detrimental and ongoing environmental and…
Detecting Yemen’s Informal Dumpsites from Space
Blog
The war in Yemen has profoundly affected solid waste management, increasing open dumping and with it risks to the environment and public health. In this…
Ukraine/Russia: Planet’s Astounding Satellite Images Map Russian War Crimes in Ukraine
International
Right after Planet Labs sealed an agreement to supply NATO with its remarkable satellite imagery, which tracks rockets and cosmodromes, ships and submarines across the…
Water: The Connection between Water, Data and Peace
International
WaPOR, which stands for Water Productivity through Open-access of Remotely-sensed derived data, is a tool created by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United…
DRC: Residents Worry as DRC Rebels Frantically Exploit Coltan Mine
International
Reputed to be the coltan capital of the world, the mining town of Rubaya, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, has fallen into the…
Israel/Palestine: Half of Gaza Water Sites Damaged or Destroyed, BBC Satellite Data Reveals
International
Hundreds of Gaza's water and sanitation facilities have been damaged or destroyed since Israel began military action against Hamas, satellite analysis by BBC Verify has…
Kyrgyzstan/Tajikistan/Uzbekistan: Intel Report: Fergana Valley and Regional Security
International
The last meeting in Fergana between the heads of the security services of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan accentuated the countries’ desire to cooperate in regional…
Israel/Palestine: In Gaza, Satellites Show 157,200 Damaged or Destroyed Buildings
International
Beyond the staggering number of deaths, Israel’s ongoing bombardment in Gaza is also taking a drastic toll on infrastructure. So far in the conflict, an…
Cambodia: After Clash, Cambodian Governor Says Some Disputed Land Will Go to Villagers
International
The governor of a northern Cambodia province has promised to allocate 1,000 hectares of land between 100 families following last week’s violent clash with police…
Israel/Palestine: How War Destroyed Gaza’s Neighbourhoods – Visual Investigation
International
A Guardian investigation has detailed the mass destruction of buildings and land in three neighbourhoods in Gaza.Using satellite imagery and open-source evidence, the investigation found…
Afghanistan: Oil Extraction at Amu Darya to Surge with Opening of New Wells: Ministry
International
The head of the Afg-China Oil and Gas Ltd in a meeting with the acting Minister of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP), Shahabuddin Delawar, said that…
A Rapid Environmental Risk Assessment of the Kakhovka Dam Breach during the Ukraine Conflict
Library
Assessing habitat and biodiversity loss in active conflict zones is a major challenge1. Independent scientific evidence on wartime impacts is essential to inform the environmental…
Digital Technologies for Environmental Peacebuilding: Horizon Scanning of Opportunities & Risks
Briefs & Development
This report specifically delves into how digital technologies can be harnessed to manage environmental and natural resource risks that contribute to insecurity and social conflict,…
Ukraine Conflict Environmental Briefing: Nature
Briefs & Development
The scale and intensity of the conflict in Ukraine has resulted in widespread and locally severe damage to some of its most ecologically important areas,…
Russia: Russia’s Ghost Ships and the Evolution of a Grain Smuggling Operation
International
There are many reasons for a vessel to not transmit an AIS position, some of which are legitimate, such as technical issues and concerns over…
Afghanistan/Iran: Special Envoy for Afghanistan Urges Fair Delivery of Iran’s Water Rights from Hirmand
International
The Iranian President’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Affairs, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, has called for the fair delivery of Iran’s water rights from the Hirmand River,…
Ukraine: A New Tool Shows What War Has Done to Ukraine’s Forests
International
Among the many victims of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine are some of the most important ecosystems in Eastern Europe: Ukraine’s forests and protected areas.…
Afghanistan: The Former Afghan Soldiers Turning to Gem Mining to Survive
International
In remote Nuristan province, some who lost their jobs after the Taliban takeover are now working in artisanal mines to support their families amid a…
Call for Abstracts: Third International Conference on Environmental Peacebuilding [Deadline: October 2, 2023]
Announcement
The Environmental Peacebuilding Association® (EnPAx®) and the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies at Leiden University are pleased to announce the call for abstracts for…