Say hello to Cool Earth’s new Rainforest Lab

Our first ever Rainforest Lab in Papua New Guinea is officially open!

After months of hard work planning and building, the community of Wabumari in the Milne Bay province now have their very own Rainforest Lab.

The opening was celebrated in style, featuring vibrant traditional dances from the community and a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Cool Earth’s Country Manager, Regina Kewa, and Forests Impact Lead, Matt Proctor.

The opening of the Rainforest Lab with Cool Earth staff and the local community of Wabumari.

But what does a Rainforest Lab do exactly? Good question.

Whilst most of us use a smartphone, Wi-Fi and Google Maps daily in our lives, not everyone has access to the data we take for granted.

Without it, how can people living in the rainforest be informed of encroaching threats to their land? How can they hear about a nearby wildfire or flood fast enough?

The bottom line is, they can’t.

Whilst we can access satellite images of a rainforest in Papua New Guinea with a simple click, how is it fair that those who live there don’t have the same access.

This brand-new Rainforest Lab exists to change this. It comes fully equipped with access to Wi-Fi, technology and mapping tools, providing real-time data to local communities so they can protect their territories from threats.

Traditional dances to celebrate the opening of the Rainforest Lab.

Using data to protect the rainforest

We all feel the impacts of the climate crisis but it is not a level playing field when it comes to tackling the challenges it brings. People living in the rainforest are on the front lines of climate change and are already bearing the brunt of extreme weather, sea level rise and so much more.

That’s why we launched our first Rainforest Lab in the Amazon rainforest in 2022. Thanks to our Labs in the Amazon, our partner communities were able to monitor fires and alert neighbouring villages during the extreme wildfires that spread across Peru last month.

As for Papua New Guinea, the next phase is to train local community members to run the Lab and become the first team of forest monitors. We will keep you updated.

A big thank you to our teams in Papua New Guinea and all our supporters. This Rainforest Lab wouldn’t be here without you.