With the end of the year coming upon us, Amazon Conservation is excited to share the discovery of a new species of sandfly identified at our Manu Biological Station in the Peruvian Amazon. This most recent scientific breakthrough reminds us of the groundbreaking research and innovation taking place in the heart of the Amazon, showcasing the critical role of biodiversity and science in addressing global challenges. 

From uncovering new species that expand our understanding of tropical ecosystems to developing advanced technologies for tracking wildlife and monitoring diseases, our work highlights the essential connection between conserving the Amazon and protecting human health. As we celebrate innovation for conservation, we want to underscore how these efforts safeguard not only the Amazon and the planet’s health, but also our own individual health as humans. With your support, we can continue to drive these essential initiatives forward for the benefit of all.

A Remarkable Discovery: Trichophoromyia macrisae

In the depths of the Amazon rainforest, at the Manu Biological Station in southern Peru, researchers uncovered a new species of sandfly, Trichophoromyia macrisae. This remarkable discovery adds to the 47 species of the genus found across the Americas, 15 of which can be found in Peru. 

Sandflies are known transmitters of Leishmania, the parasite responsible for leishmaniasis, a disease that poses a significant public health challenge in tropical regions. By identifying and studying this new species, scientists gain critical insights into local transmission dynamics–the analysis of the rate and pattern of a disease spreading in a population–ultimately informing prevention strategies and public health policies. 

This recent discovery, made possible thanks to support from the International Conservation Fund of Canada, is just one example of the innovative conservation research taking place at our biological stations in Peru that helps inform local and global human health. This type of analysis demonstrates valuable information around the intersection of biodiversity and human health, where protecting ecosystems also protects lives.

Pioneering Conservation Technology at Biological Stations in Peru

Similarly, at our state-of-the-art Wildlife Conservation Laboratory at our Los Amigos Biological Station in the Peruvian Amazon, scientists conduct cutting-edge research on advanced wildlife genomics and monitoring of key species right in the heart of the Amazon without the delay, cost, and complications of transporting samples to bigger labs. 

To achieve this, some of the scientific activities carried out at the Laboratory include sample bio-banking, expanding biological archives for the Amazon rainforest, conservation genomics, safe pathogen screening, and toxicology monitoring of key Amazonian species. These innovations enable targeted biodiversity monitoring that not only enriches our understanding of the Amazon’s unique ecosystems but also plays a crucial role in mitigating zoonotic disease risks.

Following the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, zoonotic diseases—those that jump from animals to humans—have become a growing global concern. By studying the intricate relationships between wildlife, pathogens, and their environments, we are helping to identify potential transmission hotspots and support government health agencies in designing preventive measures. This science is essential for protecting local communities and, in our interconnected world, people everywhere.

Support Innovation for Global Health Today

Join Us in Innovating for Conservation and Global Health

Scientific exploration and innovation are at the heart of effective conservation. The discovery of Trichophoromyia macrisae and the groundbreaking research taking place at our biological stations illustrate the profound impact of research and its ability to drive meaningful change. However, these advancements are only possible with the support of individuals like you.

Your contribution helps us fund valuable research and maintain cutting-edge facilities like the Wildlife Conservation Laboratory that provide new data and analysis to inform public health strategies and enable us to better understand and predict future health crises.

By supporting Amazon Conservation, you’re not only conserving the Amazon’s unparalleled biodiversity but also fostering discoveries that protect human health and well-being. 

Together, we can ensure that the Amazon remains a source of life, innovation, and hope for generations to come. Let’s create a healthier future for the Amazon and for the whole planet.

GIS Specialists on our MAAP team analyze satellite images to track deforestation

Amazon Conservation has an extensive history of tracking deforestation and other threats to the forest–including illegal gold mining and logging, the construction of roads, and the expanding agricultural frontier–via our real-time satellite monitoring program, Monitoring of the Andes Amazon Program (MAAP). Over the years, we have continuously expanded our scope across all 9 countries of the Amazon, partnering with numerous local NGOs and civil society organizations who often utilize this information to take legal action against illegal gold mining and other harmful deforestation activities. 

This partnership model is an innovative approach to satellite monitoring and conservation in a number of ways, from the high-tech tools and algorithms used to produce real-time data and analyses about the state of the Amazon to working alongside local groups and communities to build their capacity to use this high-tech monitoring in the future and empower them to protect their territory.

Amazon Conservation’s growing partnership with FENAMAD (the Native Federation of the Madre de Dios River Region) in Peru is the most recent example of how this innovative approach means long-term wins for conservation and Indigenous communities in Peru’s Madre de Dios region.

As our MAAP analyses continue to show (most recently MAAP #183), Indigenous territories and protected areas are vital tools in the fight to keep the Amazon standing. Our MAAP reports on the topic since 2021 continue to show that these land designations experience half the rate of deforestation as any other type of land use.

For local people like Pepe Torres, who manages the Community Monitoring and Oversight Program with FENAMAD, the goals of MAAP “aligns with the [Indigenous] community’s concept of forest, of protecting the forest and using it sustainably. Protecting their forests enables them to conserve their culture and way of life as Native communities in Madre de Dios.”

What deforestation can look like via satellite imaging

With the support of the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), we are providing FENAMAD with real-time satellite monitoring of Indigenous territories while building their capacity to use this high-tech monitoring in the future to connect real-time deforestation monitoring and reporting with policy action. This partnership marks the first time we are directly sharing our satellite information with Indigenous communities and working to strengthen their existing surveillance systems, inform their on-the-ground patrolling, and help take action to stop illegal deforestation and degradation in their ancestral homelands.

Your support helps elevate the needs of Indigenous communities like those in Peru’s Madre de Dios region for innovative satellite technology and real-time analysis. With the skills, technology, and knowledge gained through our partnership with FENAMAD, you are helping empower these communities to assert autonomy over their territories, sustainably manage their resources and livelihoods, and ultimately preserve their culture and way of life.

Support Innovation to Stop Illegal Deforestation Today

Amazon Conservation’s biological research stations have housed several studies over the past two decades and have even contributed to the discovery of various new species, such as Noble’s pygmy frog, Sabin’s glass frog, and nine new beetle species. These stations offer a gateway for students and researchers to deepen their knowledge of species, habitats, and ecosystems that interconnect with the overall ecological health of the Amazon, which is crucial to exploring solutions to conservation challenges. 

Now, as 2024 is coming to a close, we’re thrilled to share that another remarkable scientific breakthrough has taken place at our Manu Biological Station in the Peruvian Amazon!

In late November, a team of researchers led by Sergio Méndez-Cardona and Olga L. Cabrera-Quintero identified a new species of sandfly: Trichophoromyia macrisae. This brings the total number of species of this genus to 47 in the Americas and 15 in Peru. Sandflies are key carriers of Leishmania, the parasite responsible for leishmaniasis, a disease with major public health impacts in tropical regions. By studying Trichophoromyia macrisae, researchers can uncover critical insights into disease transmission, helping to develop effective prevention strategies and save lives.

This discovery showcases the cutting-edge research and innovation taking place in the heart of the Amazon, opening new perspectives for studying tropical diseases and conserving our ecosystems. Each new species we uncover enhances our understanding of tropical ecosystems and highlights the vital role biodiversity plays in tackling global challenges, including those impacting human health. 

Read more about this discovery in the full study here!

We are incredibly grateful for the support of partners like you and the International Conservation Fund of Canada, which helped make this milestone possible. This just shows how your generosity can enable groundbreaking research, the development of advanced wildlife monitoring technologies, and innovative solutions that protect both biodiversity and human health. 

Your contributions directly help advance the science and impact of our work, securing a healthier, thriving future for all. Protecting ecosystems helps safeguard the health of the Amazon, our planet, and all of us. Thank you for your continued support!

Tahuamanu-Orthon Conservation Area

For 25 years, we’ve been working with local partners, communities, and governments in the Amazon to provide technical support that will help strengthen sustainable land use and establish new protected areas, keeping forests intact and wildlife thriving. Through multiple analyses (including MAAP #183 and a recent carbon analysis from MAAP #213), we have shown that protected areas and Indigenous territories offer some of the best defenses against deforestation. 

Protected areas encompass key ecosystems that are essential for the health of the overall Amazon, which affects the entire planet. Key protected areas we’ve helped establish lend a hand in conserving key ecological corridors that ensure connectivity to protect biodiversity and species adaptation to a warming planet, regulate water levels and flooding to protect watershed health for the entire Amazon River basin, and build forests that are more fire resilient, which can prevent major fires that devastate the Amazon and local communities.

Achieving greater protection of the Amazon’s forests is more urgent now than ever. 

Take action for the Amazon today!

Establishing conservation areas takes a lot of time and work, and we are grateful for your generous support. We at Amazon Conservation continue to utilize innovative tools and partnerships to protect new areas and ensure their continued protection.

In addition to the importance of protected areas and Indigenous territories as tools to prevent deforestation, establishing more and larger areas for conservation also supports landscape and biodiversity connectivity, which is critical for healthy forests and ecosystems. 

This year, we celebrated the establishment of two new conservation areas that protect more than 1.25 million acres of forest in the Bolivian Amazon.

Thanks to the support of donors like you, we now directly protect a total of 10.5 MILLION ACRES of wild places across 37 protected areas across the headwaters of the Amazon in Peru and Bolivia! 

But establishing protected areas won’t be effective on its own without also ensuring the sustainable management of these areas, which is another piece of Amazon Conservation’s work to protect wild areas.

We are at the forefront of urgent action by using real-time satellite monitoring, locally-managed drone piloting programs, and innovative tools like the Fires App, through which we track fires and analyze their causes and their correlation with destructive activities. With this valuable data and by fostering healthy, connected ecosystems, we are making forests more resilient to the impacts of these fires. 

Your support for Amazon Conservation’s work helps prioritize the innovative use of technology to ensure connectivity and the sustainability of protected areas needed to conserve biodiversity and healthy forests resilient to climate change.

Images provided by Conservación Amazónica – ACEAA