About
Our project uses remote surveillance to monitor movements and assess the demographic health of isolated peoples. Accurate estimates of population sizes and village areas are essential to assess the immediate conservation needs of such isolated groups.
Most isolated indigenous societies are semi-sedentary, slash-and-burn horticulturalists who clear forested areas for their villages and gardens. These clearings and living structures are visible in satellite imagery and can be monitored over time. In contrast to overflights and encounters on the ground, remote sensing with satellite imagery offers a safe, inexpensive, noninvasive, and systematic approach to provide demographic and land use information for isolated peoples.
To date we have located 30 isolated villages using remote sensing. These are confirmed by image evidence of thatched-roof houses and by previous overflights. For security reasons, we do not divulge exact locations of these villages.
Research questions
- Where are isolated villages? (spatial ecology)
- How many are there? (demographic health)
- Are villages connected to other villages? (meta-populations)
- Where are the external risks? (logging, ranching, mining, narcotrafficking, etc.)
- What are the likely demographic outcomes of contact?