From Field to Cloud: a LoRa IoT System for Mangrove Environmental Monitoring

Mangroves play a critical role in coastal protection, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity support, yet they are increasingly threatened by anthropogenic activities and climate-induced changes. Long-term environmental monitoring can help to understand the spatial and temporal dynamics of these fragile systems. However, field instrumentation in mangrove environments faces severe operational challenges, including high humidity, salinity, heat, and the absence of reliable power and/or communications infrastructure.

In this work, we present the implementation of a LoRa-based Internet of Things (IoT) network designed to support continuous, autonomous monitoring in five mangrove sites located in southern Brazil—one of the most endangered coastal regions in South America. The system integrates low-power sensors and multi-hop communication nodes capable of maintaining connectivity through harsh and dynamic conditions. To ensure efficient deployment, a radio propagation model specific to mangrove vegetation and canopy density was developed, allowing optimization of transmitter locations and link performance. The network employs a custom communication protocol designed to enhance data resilience and self-diagnose node failures, minimizing maintenance requirements.

All field data are synchronized to a web-based platform enabling real-time visualization, analysis, and integration with other geospatial datasets. This study demonstrates the potential of LoRa IoT networks as a cost-effective tool for continuous monitoring of coastal ecosystems, supporting geoscientific research and conservation efforts in remote and data-scarce environments.