New Tech Tool Targets Deforestation at the Source

To help block deforestation-linked imports by the end of 2025, Indonesia has launched a new platform that detects environmental violations in real-time. This strengthens its ability to trace and prevent illegal or conflict-driven products from entering global markets.

“Through [the new platform Ground Truthed.id, or] GTID, we gather all field-based documentation and compile it into a unified system,” explains Denny Bhatara, a senior campaigner at Kaoem Telapak, the environmental NGO behind GTID. “The faster we can share information, the better the chances of taking preventive action.”

Indonesia intends to comply with the EU Deforestation Regulation, effectively banning imports of deforestation-linked commodities like palm oil, timber, and coffee by December 30^th, 2025. One of the main hurdles the Asian country faces is traceability; GTID provides verifiable, real-time data through field-based evidence and geolocation data to detect environmental violations in real time, offering a bottom-up alternative to satellite-reliant systems. The platform relies on collaboration from Indigenous peoples, civil society, and law enforcement, using a verification process to turn grassroots reports into legally actionable cases.