Ericsson, PLDT Inc. and its wireless arm Smart Communications Inc. are using technology and advanced machine learning solutions for protected areas in Sasmuan, Pampanga.

The three signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to conserve a 405-hectare mangrove wetland in the area, a vital habitat to endemic, migratory, and threatened water bird species - the Sasmuan Bangkung Malapad Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area (SBMCHEA).

Its mangrove swamps also serve as natural flood and typhoon barriers and help to preserve marine biodiversity.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Sasmuan are also part of the collaboration.

In 2021, the mangrove swamps of Sasmuan were designated as the eighth wetland of international importance in the Philippines under the Ramsar Convention, an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands.

Under the MOA, Ericsson will deploy Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled CCTV cameras to identify migratory bird species and enable better preservation of endangered wildlife in Sasmuan, Pampanga.

PLDT will host the cloud system for the data that will be collected by the AI cameras, while Smart will provide end-to-end internet mobile connectivity.

The relevant data will then be processed via a dashboard made available to the DENR and the LGU of Sasmuan, Pampanga.

“This partnership demonstrates how we can leverage information and communications technology and connectivity in caring for the environment and preserving it for the next generation," said Melissa Vergel de Dios, First Vice President and Head of PLDT’s Sustainability and Investor Relations Offices.

"Together with Ericsson, we continue to explore innovations to see how we can create more Internet of Things (IoT) and AI technology-based solutions that could address environmental challenges and help mitigate climate change,” she stressed.

This latest partnership follows a previous Connected Mangroves project in 2017, where an IoT solution for the reforestation of mangroves was deployed in the same LGU in Pampanga.

Data such as water level, humidity, soil moisture and temperature, was also captured by solar-powered sensors via wireless connectivity over a cloud system.

This information then allowed the community to better manage the area’s conservation.

Based on a census in 2020, over 50,000 birds are using SBMCHEA as a migration stopover.

"We are using IoT to connect mangroves and AI to protect nature as well as the ecological biodiversity in the Philippines,” said Martin Wiktorin, Head of Ericsson Singapore, Brunei and the Philippines.