Project Centinela: Enabling Conservation and Economic Development in Virunga National Park

Virunga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, bordering Uganda and Rwanda. It spans 3,000 square miles (7,800 square kilometers), and is home to more than 3,000 species, including elephants, hippopotami, eastern lowland gorillas, and about a third of the world’s remaining population of endangered mountain gorillas.

Eastern lowland gorilla in Virunga National Park. Credit: Virunga National Park

Despite being in a region impacted by conflict, the park is protected by a dedicated team of more than 760 rangers. In addition to preserving its rich ecosystem, the Park aims to responsibly harness its natural resources to drive economic transformation in the region through job creation and poverty reduction.

Virunga National Park, DRC. PlanetScope Mosaic Q1 2023, oriented with East at the top.

The Park's survival depends on its ability to act as an asset to the community. Therefore, Microsoft AI for Good Lab and Virunga National Park are working toward goals that conserve the park's resources, reduce poverty, and promote peace.

The broad spatial coverage of PlanetScope near-daily scenes and mosaics enhances the team’s ability to quickly spot habitat destruction and survey the park’s boundaries for deforestation.  

In line with its mission to reduce poverty in the region, Virunga National Park works with 6000 smallholder farms to produce agro-products for sale. To maintain their ability to partake in international markets, these smallholder farms need to demonstrate that they have been farming without deforesting the land since 2020, in accordance with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).

The project team is supporting smallholder farmers to verify deforestation-free practices. Using PlanetScope Mosaics, Microsoft AI for Good Lab developed a machine learning method to assess forest change at high resolution against a 2020 baseline. The method, called DECAF, has been key to monitoring deforestation and confirming smallholder claims.

PlanetScope Mosaics from September 2020 and September 2024 near Virunga National Park, which the DECAF method uses to compare forest change. Credit: Microsoft AI for Good Lab

With Planet data and Microsoft AI for Good Lab’s AI-driven analyses, Virunga National Park staff can monitor the park more effectively to mitigate deforestation and conflict, while uplifting communities and promoting sustainable livelihoods.  

Virunga National Park staff anticipate continuing to use mosaics to track deforestation around the park’s boundaries and support smallholder farmers. Going forward, the project team will use high-resolution SkySat tasking to inspect individual farms and improve access to markets.