Protecting mangroves and wetlands through the use of technology
Pledge by
Ericsson AB
Protecting river communities in Malaysia and wetlands of international importance in the Philippines

- Type
- Conserving, Restoring & Growing, Enabling
- This pledge will take place from
- 2020 to 2023
- Location
- Malaysia, Philippines
Pledge overview
Since 2015, Ericsson has played an active role in reforesting a riverbank mangrove forest in Sabak Bernam, Malaysia through the use of water and soil sensors. In 2016, 80% of mangroves planted reached maturity, compared to only 40% prior to the project. Today, the initial site is fully reforested and Ericsson will continue to support reforesting efforts in different parts of the riverbank. In 2017, Ericsson deployed the same solution in Sasmuan, Pampanga in the Philippines, and in 2020 the site was declared the country's 8th Ramsar site. Today, Ericsson is deploying AI-enabled solutions to help with site protection and migratory bird species identification.
Actions in this pledge
-
Conserving trees and forest landscapes
Supporting actions
- Conservation support activities
- Support the operating costs and activities of existing conservation areas, including advocacy for conservation policy
Additional details
Installation in the Philippines of AI-enabled cameras that will monitor the site and identify bird species in 2021; employee volunteer planting activities in 2022 and project evaluation end 2022. Potential additional site to be evaluated in Q1 2022.
Conserving
- Land area
- 405 hectares
-
Restoring and growing trees and forest landscapes
Supporting actions
- Reforestation
- Re-establishment of forest through planting and/or deliberate seeding on land classified as forest, that has been degraded or where trees are unlikely to regenerate naturally
- Mangrove restoration
- Establishment or enhancement of mangroves along coastal areas and in estuaries
Additional details
Mangrove tree planting in Malaysia in 2021-2022.
Restoring & Growing
- Trees
- 4500 trees
-
Enabling activities for trees and forest landscapes
Supporting actions
- Data collection, management and technological tools
- Activities that provide data and/or technological tools to support conservation and restoration (e.g. monitoring etc.)
Additional details
Installation in the Philippines of AI-enabled cameras to monitor the site and help to identify migratory bird species in Q4 2021. A potential additional mangrove site, where AI cameras will be used for phenology studies, is being examined and if deemed appropriate for the AI solution, will be implemented in Q1 2022.
Enabling
Our ecologically and socially responsible approach
In both Malaysia and the Philippines, we work with the local community to ensure that the project implementation is in line with local guidelines. We also ensure that we engage with the community to address their needs, and conduct training to transfer knowledge on the ICT solution installed. In the Philippines, we work with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to ensure that proper measures are taken with regard to site protection.
Our partners
In Malaysia: Community of Kampung Dato Hormat, Sabak Bernam, Malaysia;
In the Philippines: Smart Communications, local government unit of Pampanga, and Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Our locations
We are working at locations across Malaysia and Philippines.
Malaysia: Kampung Dato Hormat, Sabak Bernam, Malaysia
Philippines: Sasmuan Bangkung Malapad, Pampanga

Our implementation progress
Pledge implementation progress reporting is managed in collaboration with IUCN’s Restoration Barometer, and is required annually from the year following pledge publication.
-
Ericsson pledge implementation progress report 2022
with supporting documentation