SMART: Bhutan foresters to step up conservation efforts through use of real-time data

To ensure effective use of the system, foresters and officials from the Department of Renewable Energy are undergoing six-day training in Thimpu, reports The Bhutan Live.

SMART stands for Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool, the news portal reported.

SMART Connect refers to the technique of receiving and sending patrol data in real-time. It will also help in determining the time required for rangers while on patrol and in sending immediate assistance if they face any form of disaster or danger.

“The main reason for running well is because firstly, with the aid from the WWF; we have conservation law enforcement, when it comes to law enforcement, be it illegal logging, killing animals or poaching, those acts, to know when and where it happens, it was started to monitor these acts,” Kinga Norbu, Senior Forestry Officer of Department of Forest and Park Services, told The Bhutan Live.

“Bhutan is one of the best case studies of effective SMART implementation in the world and now we are hoping to move to the next step, moving to mostly online system through SMART connect. Whereas data is getting to the international level much more quickly, more efficiently so they can use the information to make decisions on the ground,” said Alexander Wyatt, Wildlife Crime Program Coordinator of Cambodia.