Energy-Efficient And Secure Sensor Communication In Forest Monitoring Wireless Networks

Abstract

The Low-Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy (LEACH) protocol is a widely used clustering-based routing technique in Wireless Sensor Networks. In LEACH, sensor nodes are organized into clusters and a cluster head is selected randomly in each round. The cluster head collects data from member nodes, aggregates the information, and transmits it to the base station. Although LEACH helps distribute energy consumption among nodes, the random selection of cluster heads may result in nodes with low residual energy becoming cluster heads, which reduces network lifetime and communication efficiency. To overcome these limitations, this work incorporates the Hybrid Improved Tunicate- Based Optimization Algorithm (HITBOA) for intelligent cluster head selection. HITBOA evaluates nodes based on parameters such as residual energy and trust score, ensuring that only reliable and energy-efficient nodes are chosen as cluster heads. This optimization process improves network stability and reduces the chances of selecting malicious or weak nodes. After selecting the cluster heads, the Energy Efficient Sensor Routing Protocol (EESRP) is used to determine a secure and energy-efficient communication path for transmitting data from cluster heads to the base station. EESRP focuses on selecting optimal routing paths that minimize energy consumption while maintaining secure data transmission across the network. By integrating HITBOA for cluster head selection and EESRP for secure routing, the proposed approach improves energy efficiency, reliability, and overall network performance compared to the traditional LEACH protocol.