On December 6, 2022, the Washington Post published an article detailing intense illegal mountain-top mining in the supposedly protected national park of Yapacana in the Venezuelan Amazon. The authors, Samantha Schmidt, Ana Vanessa Herrero, and Janice Kai Chen, explain that Cerro Yapacana, revered as a sacred site by indigenous groups in this region of Venezuela and known as a tepui, or “house of God,” has in fact become the largest site of illegal gold mining in the northern Amazon, especially within an otherwise protected natural area.

Cerro Yapacana, a 4,415 sandstone butte, is home to wildlife species that are not found anywhere else in the world and are now in great danger thanks to the encroaching mining activity and the expansion of small city camps being constructed on the table-top of this uniquely biodiverse mountain.

Our team of GIS specialists and researchers with the Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Project (MAAP) have been monitoring this activity for quite some time and have published reports #156 and #169 covering this exact activity. The Washington Post reached out to our Director of MAAP, Dr. Matt Finer, for comments and expertise. Dr. Finer echoed the surprise at the “stunning density” of the camps and equipment saying that he has, “…never seen anything like it, especially in a national park.”

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Read the Washington Post article HERE

 

 

 

An important element of our work is to build the next generation of conservationists, who can tell the stories of the Amazon to local, national, and international audiences. Our Peruvian sister organization Conservación Amazónica – ACCA hosted a workshop for 15 members of the Cusco Environmental Communicators Network, who had the opportunity to visit and learn about the conservation and research work carried out at our Wayqecha Biological Station located in the cloud forests of Peru, just four hours from Machu Picchu. 

The communicators took a tour that began at the Andean Bear Interpretation Center, an ideal place for environmental education and citizen science that connects people with nature through displays of this iconic species. Researchers from Conservación Amazónica – ACCA presented the work they have been doing on the habitat and behavior of the Andean bear. Then they walked along the “Canopy Walkway”, our one-of-a-kind suspension bridge from where you can see nature differently from the height of the treetops.

By the end of their visit, the group had gained valuable insight into life in the rainforest and how to communicate key challenges of the Amazon, gaining also a lifetime appreciation of all that the forest provides and simply is.

 

On Thursday, December 1st, Amazon Conservation and the World Bank’s Amazon Sustainable Landscapes initiative co-hosted a webinar on the tipping point in the Amazon. The webinar featured expert panelists from government entities, conservation nonprofits, and indigenous groups.

The webinar brought to light some of the latest findings regarding what the tipping point actually is, how close we are to reaching it, and what that means for the Amazon, its inhabitants, and the world. It has been increasingly reported that the largest rainforest in the world, the Amazon, is rapidly approaching its tipping point. As highlighted by Carlos Nobre and our late Board Member and renowned scientist Tom Lovejoy, this tipping point is where parts of the rainforest will convert into drier ecosystems due to disrupted precipitation patterns and more intense dry seasons, both exacerbated by deforestation and climate change.

The impacts within the Amazon and beyond its boundaries can be catastrophic for both people and nature, upsetting a balance that local people have depended on for millennia as they shaped their lives around its climate, the economic foundation that its forests and waters make possible, and the ecosystem services (carbon sink, fresh water, etc.) that it provides to millions across a vast continent.

 

The Presenters

Dr. Matt Finer, Senior Research Specialist at Amazon Conservation and Director of MAAP, presented a novel look at the phenomenon and suggests that we should actually be thinking about 2 tipping points in the Amazon – the now well-known “point of no return” from a rainforest ecosystem to that of one more closely resembling a dry savanna, AND the Amazon going from a carbon sink to a carbon source.

 

 

 

 

 

To put this novel idea into perspective, attendees first heard from Dr. Carlos Nobre, premier meteorologist, ecologist, and co-chair of the Science Panel for the Amazon. Dr. Nobre explained that while we may be quickly approaching the tipping point, there are strategies to avoid reaching it, saying, “Restoring traditional forest functions and fusing new and traditional scientific knowledge will help us prevent a catastrophic tipping point. Recognizing and enforcing indigenous rights is critical.”

Attendees also heard from Carlos Ardila Espinosa, Representative from the Congress of Colombia, who provided invaluable insight into how conservation efforts are conceptualized in legislation. Representative Espinosa offered an example from the Putumayo department of Colombia where it is already evident that acknowledging and respecting indigenous peoples’ rights to their own territories allows not only restorative transformations to the forest to occur; but also provides the space for more diverse forest-based economies to take hold which ultimately fosters forest conservation. Representative Espinosa offered this important question, “How can we raise the value of 1 hectare of forest to equal or surpass 1 hectare that has been cleared for pasture? This is an integral hurdle to incentivizing conservation in legislation.”

 

Ana María González Velosa, Senior Environmental Specialist with the World Bank provided moderation for the event and Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, fresh home from attending the COP27 in Egypt, left attendees with his closing remarks emphasizing the urgency with which conservation in the Amazon must be addressed.

 

 

 

As part of our approach to employ science and technology for conservation, we provide satellite training to the next generation of conservation heroes so they can use this cutting-edge technology to patrol their forest homes quickly, safely, and cheaply. After 7 months of training in satellite monitoring, 23 indigenous youth in the Bolivian Amazon successfully completed the course and made final presentations of their theses.

The young people of San Jose de Uchupiamonas and Tacana I strengthened their skills in territorial management for control, surveillance, and local security through the use of technologies for the protection of their territories. The trainees added that the knowledge and tools gained through the training are beneficial for the defense of their ancestral territories, which will help facilitate patrolling that previously was carried out on foot over many days. 

The “Satellite Monitoring and Capacity Building to Support Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities – Green Amazon” project was implemented by our sister Conservación Amazonica – ACEAA and Conservación Internacional Bolivia. 

 

 

 

 

 

We’re helping protect the forest homes of Indigenous groups in voluntary isolation against incursions and unwanted contact with the modern world.

Keeping their forests safe and intact is essential for their survival. 

 

 

The Madre de Dios Territorial Reserve in Peru, where our Los Amigos Conservation Concession is located, is home to various communities of Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation or Initial Contact (often referred to by the Spanish acronym PIACI), like the Mashco Piro. These communities have maintained their autonomy and freedom with spears, arrows, and a nomadic lifestyle of hunting and gathering for centuries with no contact with the western world due to previous traumatic contact experiences. They have no fixed villages, no agriculture, and shun contact with the modern world. The forest they depend on is among the most remote, intact, and biodiverse rainforests in the Amazon and the world, and we are fighting to keep it that way. 

 

 

 

Together with the Frankfurt Zoological Society of Peru (FZS Peru), our sister organization, Conservación Amazónica – ACCA, organized a training workshop on drone surveillance, protocols and procedures, and GPS applications so that park rangers in the Madre de Dios region can better monitor where these communities are without encroaching on their territories. These communities must remain intact and uncontacted out of respect for their rights, ancestral lifestyle, and the health of the forested areas they inhabit. The training provides these park rangers with the tools needed to safely monitor their territory for any incursions or threats.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Establishing the first state-of-the-art genomics lab in the Amazon.

 

All of our biological stations in Peru feature laboratories equipped with cutting-edge technology for scientists and students to conduct research.

Recently, Jhakelin Reyes Vasquez, a Peruvian scientist, has been working in the Wildlife Conservation Laboratory studying genomics and collecting data on zoonotic diseases. Your support allows laboratories like this to exist. Using these tools, we can more closely and accurately monitor the health of the forest and its wildlife inhabitants at a closer scale and do it all on-site with our own equipment – allowing our biological stations to become important sites for science throughout the Amazon.

There is much still undiscovered in the Amazon. This one-of-a-kind lab enables scientists to conduct cutting-edge studies 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. By safely taking DNA samples of wildlife and domestic animals in the region – without harming or killing any animals and following strict security protocols –scientists at the Wildlife Conservation Laboratory will monitor the health and disease status of a range of species, including frogs, snakes, and monkeys, even plant life. To achieve this, some of the scientific activities carried out at the Laboratory include sample bio-banking, expanding biological archives for the Amazon rainforest, field testing pathogens and environmental contaminants, and developing sequencing solutions for population monitoring of key species. 

Your support can create opportunities like the Wildlife Conservation Laboratory for local scientists like Jhakelin so that cutting-edge scientific research is not simply a top-down effort, but rather one that is home-grown and fosters the next generation of biologists.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We believe empowering people starts with the youngest generations of future forest friends.

Our innovative programs allow people like Rosa Quete to establish protected areas where education, conservation, and play come together to make a lasting impact on young learners.

In the community of Motacusal, Rosa Quete established and leads the Bosque de Niños (Children’s Forest), which she hopes will serve as an example of effective sustainable agroforestry practices for youth and a source of knowledge sharing between generations. 

Motacusal is the first community with this type of forest, which covers over 116 acres of forest set aside strictly for the children of Motacusal. With access to their own protected area, the children can experience first-hand all that the forest provides and gain a better understanding of the importance of protecting for the present and future health of the greater environment around them.

Thanks to your support, Rosa can promote education as a means to empower future leaders — especially young women — to preserve the forest’s natural biodiversity through sustainable agroforestry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amazon Conservation is committed to empowering people through strengthening and creating forest-based economies that are both climate-resilient and sustainable.

We partner with people like Misael Campos who brings his own wealth of knowledge of forest productivity to bolster our efforts to empower people through strengthening forest-based economies. 

In the Bolivian Amazon, Brazil nuts and açaí berries are key forest products for regional economies and unique in that they can only be grown in a healthy forest ecosystem. To keep forests standing and help these forest economies adapt to a changing climate, we are working closely with local producer families like Misael Campos’s family in the Pando region to strengthen local forest-friendly businesses. 

 

We have helped them build production facilities and safety equipment to increase the value of their products while minimizing the great risks of harvesting these forest products, provided training on conservation best practices, and connected them to new markets to minimize the role of intermediaries. These efforts make sure they can have a strong, fully sustainable business centered around protecting their forest home.

What’s more, producers like Misael are seeing the benefits of this support for their families and are eager to share this experience, technology, and equipment with others. Through empowering families in one community, your support continues to grow and have an exponential impact for families across the region!

 

 

 

 

 

This holiday season, shop with intent and support conservation in the Amazon while getting gifts for your friends and family that they are sure to love! These forest-friendly companies have partnered with Amazon Conservation because they too believe in protecting our planet’s greatest forest. These generous businesses have dedicated a portion of their sales to our innovative conservation programs. Therefore, any purchase from one of these small businesses already includes a contribution that will serve to keep the Amazon thriving. This way, shopping with these partners ensures you can give your loved ones a unique gift, support small businesses, and do your part to conserve nature all in one!

Already shopping on Amazon.com?

Did you know that Amazon.com also has a charitable giving site? Shop through this link to support our organization with every purchase you make through Amazon Smile at no extra cost to you.

 

Makeup and Beauty

 

Wisdom of Qara skincare uses botanicals from the Amazon combined with science to create wellness products that will help you exist in balance with yourself, your community, and Mother Earth. Their commitment to ethical skincare affects every decision they make about formulas, ingredients and packaging. View their skincare line here. (Currently only shipping to within the Europe Union). 

 

 

 

Fashion and Style

Marc Skid underwear is made with the world and its people in mind, crafted using organic Pima cotton grown on family farms that strictly adhere to tried-and-true farming practices that exclude GMOs. Also, one recycled plastic water bottle is used in every waistband, meaning one less bottle in a landfill. Learn more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fun and Cheer

Ready for some fun holiday fun? Reckless Conversations is the most hilarious party game of all time! Everyone’s responses to the real life statement cards will have you and your friends laughing for hours, if not for days afterwards!