Vodafone and CEPSA team up to restore wetland in southern Spain

Vodafone and CEPSA have joined forces to protect and restore the Laguna Primera de Palos in Huelva, a wetland of great ecological value in southwest Spain.

Visited every year by 152 species of birds, of which 61 are under threat, this area is part of the Lagunas de Palos y Las Madres Natural Park and was declared a wetland of international importance in 2006.

Spotting forest fires early

Through the agreement, Vodafone will implement an innovative Internet of Things (IoT) solution in the area’s trees to monitor for the early detection of forest fires.

Using artificial intelligence, the solution’s sensors are able to identify the particles produced during the initial combustion of a fire, meaning that they can be caught at an early stage. This makes it easier to control and extinguish them quickly, minimising their impact.

The IoT system runs on solar panels and can adapt to any type of wooded environment. The data collected is processed using machine learning tools, so the sensors can therefore get to know the forest 'smells' and vegetation, meaning they can spot any changes early.

“The collaboration with CEPSA allows us to contribute our experience to respond to a problem as important as forest fires and to protect environments as valuable as La Laguna Primera,” said Hugo Barbosa, Vodafone's Head of Regional Enterprise Sales.

“This is yet another example of the positive impact that collaboration between companies has in addressing the challenges that matter most to our society.”

What next?

The system has already been successfully tested in Asturias and Malaga, as well as further afield in Italy and the UK.

On this occasion, the initiative has been developed within the framework of the restoration project of La Laguna Primera de Palos de la Frontera, launched by CEPSA in collaboration with the Regional Government of Andalucía, which pursues ecological recovery, landscape restoration and environmental awareness of the area.

Using IoT, we’re seeing a diverse range of use cases where this technology can have an impact in the fight against climate change. From monitoring earthquakes and forests to the human-wildlife conflict and beyond.