ReforestAI Built an Always-On, Solar-Powered Forest Guard to Tackle Illegal Logging

Illegal logging is rampant in the timber-producing countries of the tropics and accounts for an estimated 50 to 90 percent of all logging in these countries.

Forests play an important role in carbon sequestration and biodiversity preservation. Several countries have implemented policies and strategies such as REDD+ to curb illegal logging and its consequences. But these efforts fall apart without adequate funding and manpower.

Illegal logging is a particularly urgent problem in developing countries like Nigeria, where economic disparities, lax regulations, and institutional neglect all contribute to one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world. According to a UN-REDD report, Nigeria lost about 3.5% of its forest cover (about 350,000-400,000 hectares) every year from 2000 to 2010.

The Niger Delta, a large, low-lying region sitting on the Atlantic Ocean’s Gulf of Guinea, is one of the regions affected by illegal logging and deforestation. Home to a diverse range of plant and animal species, the Delta’s oil and gas deposits are the backbone of the Nigerian economy.

There are 70 protected areas in the Delta, including forest reserves, game reserves, and national parks. The discovery of oil led to an increase in human activity in the region that now threatens endemic animal species and the lush swamp forests. Oil spills, logging, and invasive plant species have caused a sharp decline in the density of mangrove trees in the area.

ReforestAI is a remote monitoring system built to detect illegal logging in the thick, fragmented forests of the Niger Delta. It identifies likely threats using onboard sensors (microphones and cameras), a sound recognition model, speakers, and the ESP-NOW communication protocol. It was developed by Blessed Pepple, Lesley John Jumbo, and Bright Sunday, teens from the city of Port Harcourt in Nigeria.

ReforestAI devices are deployed on forest trees, forming a network of always-on forest guards running on solar power and communicating without the Internet. The device listens for suspicious activity like a buzzing chainsaw or the sound of an axe chopping down a tree. When it detects an intruder, it flashes bright lights and plays warning sounds, before it streams live footage to forest rangers and local authorities who may proceed to investigate the intrusion.

The team’s original idea involved using accelerometers and gyroscopes to monitor the trees’ orientation and detect when they were being cut down. But they realized it would be difficult to scale and worked on a new prototype that used an audio detection model.

The ReforestAI project was presented at the 2025 Slingshot Challenge organised by the National Geographic Challenge and the Paul G. Family Foundation. It won top honors and a $10,000 grant at the challenge.

The device, still a work-in-progress, hasn’t been deployed in any forest yet. This is important since long-term field tests are needed to ascertain its effectiveness, especially in extreme weather conditions.

Speaking with Canvas, ReforestAI co-founder Lesley John Jumbo says the reception from local conservation bodies and non-governmental organizations has been mostly lukewarm. He plans to change this once a prototype is ready for deployment.

The team notes the prototype will be ready in a month. If the device works as intended and receives the support it needs, it could heavily reduce the rates of illegal logging and tree cover loss in Nigeria and possibly across the rest of Africa.