ACF Investigates is a citizen science project that brings together a community of nature-loving digital sleuths who help uncover deforestation by classifying satellite imagery and gathering data on their phone or desktop.
Australia is a world leader in nature destruction and every day iconic Australian animals, like the koala, are pushed closer to the brink of extinction. We’re also a big country which unfortunately makes it easy for bulldozers to destroy the forests and bushland we love unseen and undocumented.
That’s where ACF Crowd Sourced Investigations comes in!
By taking some time out of your day - whether on your daily commute or during your lunch break - to help us analyse satellite imagery for signs of land clearing, you’re joining a community of people who want to uncover this destruction and stand up for nature!
Through ACF Investigates, everyone has the chance to be part of the movement to stand up for nature. All you need is a computer or smartphone, and a belief that our wildlife and natural world deserve protection!
So, are you ready to accept your mission?
Investigation goes live in
Fill in this form so we can send you more details, reminders and a link to the digital tool we’ll be using as part of ACF Investigates when it goes live on Monday 30 March.
Scanned an area of forest bigger than the size of Denmark for signs of land clearing
Helped stop bulldozers from destroying critically endangered woodland in the Hunter Valley, NSW without approval
Exposed dozens of cases of potentially illegal clearing reported to State and Federal governments
Uncovered links between deforestation and big banks, fuelling our corporate campaign work in the boardrooms
This is a real task from ACF Investigates. Drag the slider to compare before-and-after satellite images, then click the squares where you can see land clearing has occurred.
The digital tool that investigators will be using to analyse satellite imagery and help us uncover potential deforestation goes live on Monday 30 March till Monday 25 May. Be sure to fill in the form so we can send you a link once it is ready to go!
Nope. All you need is a mobile or computer. The tool is designed to work on most devices and browsers.
No, everyone is welcome to join ACF Investigates and help stand up for Australia's beautiful landscapes and wonderful creatures! Last time we had 675 investigators take part in ACF Investigates from 21 countries around the world.
Absolutely! Before we ask you to gather any data, we'll take you through an interactive tutorial. You'll then get a few practice runs and our top tips on what to look out for. Once you're nailing the practice tasks, you can start on real images.
If you're not 100% sure you can ask us or fellow investigators what they think using our ACF Discord channel. We also make sure that every satellite image is shown to multiple investigators so that there's group consensus on whether or not clearing is occurring.
Once we have consensus on whether land clearing has occurred in an area, we'll use the data you and other investigators helped uncover to build evidence-based briefs. These briefs will include crucial information including when and where the clearing occurred, how much land was cleared, which rare or threatened species lived there, whether appropriate clearing permits were filed, information about land zones and ownership, potential culprits and more.
We'll then hand that brief over to the parties best able to do something with that information, including federal, state and local government authorities, compliance officers, and the media.
The briefs will include the fact that this clearing was identified by volunteers as part of ACF Investigates, but that's it. They won't contain any user IDs, display names or personal information.
Sure, Ethan Hunt from Mission Impossible may have saved the world in the movies, but can he say he stopped actual bulldozers heading for critical habitat in their tracks? Well, ACF Investigators can! Together our tenacious Investigators:
Join thousands of investigators helping to protect Australia's forests and wildlife, one satellite image at a time.