A group of scientists from Japan and Malaysia will soon begin monitoring a tropical forest in Malaysia's Sarawak region from a lookout atop the world's largest nature-observation crane.
The 80-meter-tall crane has an arm that extends for 80 meters from its center.
At its tip is a cabin from which scientists can monitor the forest by observing the tree canopy, according to Toru Nakashizuka, a professor at the Center for Ecological Research at Kyoto University who leads the research group.
"One of the most important functions of a forest tree is to absorb carbon dioxide, and the tree carries out that duty at its top," Nakashizuka said. "That is why it is necessary to observe the tropical forest from above."
Nakashizuka and his teammates plan to monitor the forest for three years with financial aid from the government-owned Japan Science and Technology Corp.
The aim of the project is to study how the forest affects the environment, particularly global warming, he said.
The crane was assembled by a helicopter that airlifted its parts to the observation site.
"We did not want to hurt the environment of the forest by transporting the crane parts by trucks," Nakashizuka said.