Is data sharing the privilege of a few ? Bringing Linked Data to those without the Web

Abstract

The past few decades of land exploitation in the tropics, especially logging and agricultural expansion to induce economic development, have resulted in massive deforestation and severe forest degradation in Borneo. However, digital revolution may provide new means for transforming such exploitative land-based economies to more sustainable modes of development, not only with gradual improvement, but also possibly a total revamp of the existing systems. Here, we explore the potential of digital innovations to enhance conservation efforts such as: 1) improving landscape resilience; 2) enhancing ecosystem service and biodiversity accounting; 3) boosting eco-tourism; 4) elevating the marketing of local products; and 5) enabling self-sufficiency. Ultimately, conservation efforts can be largely enhanced with better accounting of biodiversity, coupled with alternative economic opportunities for rural communities to promote new business models that were not feasible due to technological limitations.