Maxar Technologies’ MDA Aids Preservation of Indonesian Rainforest

Richmond, BC – MDA, a Maxar Technologies company (NYSE: MAXR) (TSX: MAXR), today announced that its Forest Alert Service (FAS) space-based capabilities have enabled Asia Pulp & Paper’s (APP) pulpwood suppliers to more strategically monitor forest cover loss in conservation areas and meet their commitment to stakeholders that conservation forest areas were not cleared in connection with the production of their products. In less than three years since MDA began providing the monitoring service, APP reports the losses of natural forest cover in their suppliers’ forest concessions has dropped from between 5-6 percent[1] to just 0.06[2] percent in the conservation area of more than 600,000 hectares, demonstrating APP’s commitment to responsible forest management.

The strategic partnership between APP and MDA launched in 2016, enabling APP’s pulpwood suppliers to respond rapidly to detected forest changes. Monitoring land cover changes in production areas is essential for efficient operational planning and minimizes illegal encroachment, further protecting high-value forests.

Employing MDA’s RADARSAT-2 satellite, FAS provides near real-time space-borne services to deliver critical and timely information to APP, typically within two days of data collection. Every 24 days, the system monitors approximately 3.8 million hectares, which also comprises APP’s pulpwood suppliers and the Giam Siak Kecil Biosphere Reserve. RADARSAT-2 penetrates clouds and precipitation to detect subtle forest disturbances, in an area as small as 0.5 hectares.

“Conserving and protecting the Indonesian rainforest is the ultimate goal of the Forest Conservation Policy we announced in 2013,” said Elim Sritaba, Director of Sustainability and Stakeholder Engagement, APP. “By partnering with MDA, we’re able to monitor the condition of the forests we manage and quickly investigate and resolve disturbance and preserve our precious natural resources.”

“We’re proud to use our satellite technology in detecting quickly and accurately when damage has occurred and aid in the preservation of the Indonesian rainforest,” said Mike Greenley, group president of MDA.

The RADARSAT-2 satellite has global high-resolution surveillance capabilities that allow it to acquire data regardless of light or weather conditions, and to provide frequent re-visit imaging options. The information provided is ideally suited to markets that require either broad-area monitoring or targeted surveillance, such as maritime surveillance, defence and security, land use management, agriculture, disaster management and natural resources.