Last month, ACA’s second Norad-sponsored workshop “II Encuentro” was held in Tena, Ecuador to share experiences and evaluate our satellite monitoring program MAAP across the Amazon basin. This workshop brought together organizations and indigenous groups from Peru and Ecuador such as Fundación EcoCiencia, FENEMAD (Native Federation of the Madre de Dios River and Tributaries), and local representatives from the indigenous Shuar-Arutam and Waorani communities to discuss and improve the use of MAAP, as well as how to increase local capacities and engaging governments to apply the law.

In Ecuador, satellite monitoring is handled by Fundación EcoCiencia, which seeks to reduce deforestation and forest crime by creating a network that supports regional monitoring efforts throughout the Amazon.​ Fundación EcoCiencia has a direct relationship with the community monitors of the Shuar Arutam People and the Waorani Territory, who carry out community monitoring activities through platforms that receive information from provided technologies. Subsequently, technical reports are produced and made available to the proper authorities within the indigenous communities. 

Similarly in Peru, oversight offices across the Amazonian region have significant legal support and enact protocols for alerts through the National Forestry and Wildlife Service (SERFOR), which recognizes them as a technical unit established within the indigenous communities and organizations to provide technical advice in the forestry and environmental field. These precautions are being taken to build a national community monitoring and surveillance system, with the support and recognition of environmental authorities to work alongside monitoring these efforts. As many threats and pressures on Amazon persist, strengthening the legal framework and visualizing strategies for satellite monitoring in indigenous communities is critical.​

​As the evaluation of methodologies for analyzing satellite images, data, map monitoring, systems implementation, and use of technological tools carried on, communication processes were also discussed to facilitate decision-making and to consolidate more timely, accessible, and precise work to combat these threats. Likewise, promoting the development of joint and technological work, based on each experience, allows us to reinforce and improve these processes.

For these five days, those who took part in the analysis of MAAP learned from the experiences that each partner holds in their own countries, through the study of satellite images on deforestation, and other pressures on Amazon forests.

 

There’s definitely a way. Your will is your way to protect your loved ones, ensure your wishes are honored, and even make a lasting impact in the Amazon through your legacy. 

August is Make-A-Will month and as a supporter of Amazon Conservation, you’ve seen firsthand how we can work together to support the conservation of the world’s most diverse ecosystem. Now, you have the chance to join 40 other Amazon Conservation supporters in leaving behind a legacy to protect the precious biodiversity of the Amazon, empower local communities, and continue our conservation efforts to inspire future generations of conservationists.

Thanks to help from our partner FreeWill, you can get access to the best estate planning tool for free! By creating your will this month, you’ll make a way to protect your loved ones and ensure a thriving future for the Amazon. In just 20 minutes, you can join thousands who are making a will this month to create your own will by:

• Dictating your vision for the future, and for the future of your assets
• Showing your loved ones just how much you care about them
• Creating a sustainable, lasting impact on Amazon Conservation’s mission to unite science, innovation, and people to protect the greatest wild forest on Earth.

Make a will >

As the saying goes, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” FreeWill’s tool guides you through each step of writing your will, you’ll have the option to make a planned gift of any amount to Amazon Conservation. By committing just 5-10% of their estate to our mission, many donors choose to build an incredibly impactful legacy with Amazon Conservation while ensuring their loved ones are also taken care of. By using this service, you’ll get lifetime access to make updates and changes to your plan at no cost.

This August, join the growing number of supporters who have planted a seed for a future where the Amazon continues to thrive as a source of life, inspiration, and natural wonder! 

Your dedication continues to be a beacon of hope for the Amazon. Together, we can ensure this vibrant source of life and natural wonder continues to flourish for future generations.

 

 

Our Bolivian sister organization  Conservación Amazonica – ACEAA has been working with the Autonomous Municipal Government of Cobija (GAMC) to help protect and manage the main natural water resources in Cobija.

Following a presentation of the project “PROTECTING THE BAY STREAM, WE GUARANTEE WATER FOR COBIJA”, a video presentation and storybook were created to raise awareness for these efforts to strengthen these areas through the Natural Area of Integrated Management of the Bay Stream Basin (ANGICAB) project.

“Healing the Water” is the story of Bruno, a curious child who arrives in the Bolivian Amazon and decides to search for the truth. Download this story HERE,  and immerse yourself and your family in conserving our forests and natural resources like water.

Click HERE to watch the video presentation of the Natural Area of Comprehensive Management of the Basin of the Creek Bay (ANGICAB), where its riches and importance are communicated.

Both materials were created by Conservación Amazonica – ACEAA, with support from the Andes Amazon Fund, to bring awareness to the pollution and environmental degradation in the capital of the Amazon department of Pando and surrounding cities, as well as the Natural Area of Comprehensive Management of the Arroyo Bay Basin (ANGICAB) located near the capital of Cobija.

 

A major roadblock that Amazonian communities face to protect their natural resources and territories is the lack of knowledge and access to legal support. To help fight environmental crimes and empower local people to actively participate in legal processes against forest crimes, our sister organization Conservación Amazónica – ACCA has launched Peru’s first Amazon Legal Clinic.

The Amazon Legal Clinic, created with the support of the Amazonía Que Late Network, connects young attorneys with local people who want to file a deforestation claim or report a forest crime. It enables local people to receive pro-bono support while the attorneys support the conservation of the Amazon. The clinic provides free legal advice, representation, and assistance in criminal and administrative matters for people in the Ucayali, Loreto, San Martín, Amazonas, Cusco, and Huánuco regions.

This transformative initiative will help those affected by forest crimes, such as illegal mining, deforestation, illegal logging, or wildlife trafficking, to have access to the support they need to report the crime and help action be taken on the ground. “Without legal support, many local people end up never reporting environmental crimes. By providing this service for free, we can support our forest guardians and indigenous peoples to take action,” says Claudia Castillo, an attorney at Conservación Amazónica – ACCA.

Recently, our Bolivian sister organization Conservación Amazónica – ACEAA held the Jaguar-People Conflict Mitigation Action Plan socialization workshop at the Manuripi – Abuná Conservation Corridor in Pando, Bolivia. The aim was to forge an alliance meant to protect and preserve this fantastic species and its habitat in Pando. This event discussed governance, knowledge management, awareness, and mitigation strategies.

The Alliance for Jaguar Conservation in Pando brings together prominent entities such as the Pando Government, the Secretariat of Mother Earth, Pando Amazon University, Departmental Assembly, Manuripi Amazon National Wildlife Reserve, Environmental Forest Police (POFOMA), WWF Bolivia, WCS Bolivia and Conservación Internacional Bolivia.

This initiative is a fundamental part of the project “Monitoring with Trap Cameras and Mitigation of Human Conflict – Jaguar in Natural Spaces Conservation of the Panda Department”, funded by WWF Bolivia and executed by Amazon Conservation ACEAA.

In the last two years, radar monitoring has proven to be an especially effective tool in the fight against illegal gold mining in the Amazon. While imaging satellites can be blocked by clouds or smoke, radar technology allows satellites to measure changes on the earth’s surface regardless of cloud cover. In 2021, our Peruvian sister organization Conservación Amazónica – ACCA, worked closely with SERVIR-Amazonia to develop and launch a specialized tool called RAMI (Radar Mining Monitoring Tool), which utilizes radar technology to discover illegal mining deforestation as soon as it happens. Since its launch, ACCA has successfully trained government officials, indigenous peoples, and other land defenders in the use of this technology, saving countless acres of forest by enhancing access to actionable information in an unprecedented way.

Now, ACCA is helping to expand the use of this crucial technology to the rest of the Amazon. Peruvian experts recently traveled to the Brazilian state of Pará to work with government employees of SEMAS (Brazil’s Secretary of the Environment and Sustainability) to implement a system for the application of RAMI in the Tapajós region. Sidney Novoa, the Director of GIS at Conservación Amazónica – ACCA (pictured below left), emphasized the similarities between Tapajós in Pará and Madre de Dios in Peru, an area where monitoring technology has been especially effective at mitigating deforestation. The intersection of national parks, indigenous lands, and conservation areas with land designated for mining yields a similar pattern of conflict and confusion regarding land use disputes. However, the similarity also indicates that our knowledge of the tools utility in Madre de Dios should transfer well to Tapajós.

Mauro O’ de Almeida, Secretary of SEMAS, highlighted that the Tapajós region was chosen for the operation of RAMI due to its high illegal gold mining activity. The Secretary hopes that this tool will address the problem of illegal mining in general, a major obstacle to environmental management in Pará, which harms the economy and natural resources.

In this way, the tool will reinforce SEMAS’ strategy for environmental oversight and monitoring, not only to combat illegal mining but also to supervise licensed companies and protect the environment and communities that depend on these natural resources. Additionally, this technology will be shared with other federal agencies in the state of Pará, such as the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation and IBAMA (the Brazillian Institute of Environment and Renewable Resources), to strengthen the fight against illegal mining and ensure the sustainability of the Amazon.

 

Our newly published MAAP #189 report shows detection of over 260 major fires that have occurred thus far in 2023. Scientists have indicated that this year’s El Niño has the potential to mimic the last 2016-2017 El Niño episode, which produced the most intense Amazonian fires on record.

According to this report, a majority of these fires (54%) have occurred in the Brazilian Amazon. As for the Bolivian Amazon, 40 major fires were detected, and the vast majority (88%) have been areas that were already recently deforested to make way for new soy plantations. Additionally, 30 major fires were found in the Peruvian Amazon in high-elevation grasslands. In the Columbian Amazon, 50 major fires were detected, 100% of them burning recently deforested areas.

Thanks to our Peruvian sister organization Conservacion Amazonica – ACCA, we’ve been able to base our findings on the unique data from the real-time Amazon Fires Monitoring app they have developed. This app combines atmospheric (aerosol emissions in smoke) and ground data (heat anomaly alerts) to detect major fires in a more efficient and precise manner. This app is able to filter out smaller fires ( e.g. controlled fires for burning crops) from major fires, such as those that were detected in the above-mentioned Amazonian countries.

 

Read the full report here.

 

Staying organized is the key to success – especially in today’s fast-paced world. That’s why Amazon Conservation now has its very own set of printable calendars! Whether you’re keeping track of your professional tasks or daily to-dos, we’ve got the right tools for you. Choose between our weekly or monthly template, designed to keep you on top of your schedule.

Click here to download yours now!

 

This week, the Executive Director of our Bolivian sister organization Conservación Amazónica – ACEAA Marcos Terán sat down with representatives of Conservation International and the University Amazónica de Pando, to sign an agreement that will broaden our research capabilities while training a new generation of ecologists in the Amazon at Tahuamanu Research Station (pictured right). For nearly three decades, these 7,680 acres have allowed scientists to discover the rich biodiversity of the Pando Department of Bolivia. Thanks to their work, we know that 15 of Bolivia’s 23 primate species live in the area, including Goeldi’s marmoset (pictured left), an endangered species whose population is expected to decrease 30% in the next 18 years due to habitat loss.

To help maintain population growth among vulnerable species, the Bolivian government formally protected the area in 2017. Since then, Amazon Conservation has worked with the Amazonian University of Pando (UAP) to manage the station and its surrounding land. By coming together to sign an agreement for future investment in Tahuamanu’s management, UAP, Conservación Internacional Bolivia, and Amazon Conservation, have outlined how each organization will contribute to ensuring this station continues to carry out significant research and conservation efforts for generations to come.

Looking forward, Franz Navia, the Dean of the UAP, said at the signing that the agreement would allow them to start construction on a new research center within the next 30 to 45 days. With an updated base of operations, researchers of all levels will gain crucial infrastructure to aid ongoing projects, and more students at UAP will be able to conduct their own research for the first time. “It’s a huge advance for all partners,” Navia said.

Amazon Conservation and our Peruvian sister organization Conservación Amazónica – ACCA made a special appearance at this year’s Land & Carbon Lab 2023 Summit, hosted by World Resources Institute (WRI). Our Executive Director John Beavers, along with Conservación Amazónica-ACCA’s Director of Technology for Conservation Sidney Novoa, made the trip to Brussels to present on our ever-growing Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Program (MAAP) and its impact on combatting illegal deforestation across the Amazon.

This year’s Land & Carbon Lab Summit, sponsored by Bezos Earth Fund and Norway’s International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI), partnered with leading scientists and technologists to curate best-in-class geospatial data on land use, land use change, and associated carbon stocks and flows, following the theme of “Monitoring Land, Mobilizing Action.” This work builds and expands on Global Forest Watch, which provides high-resolution monitoring of the world’s forests and serves as the basis of the analysis and action propelled by our MAAP initiative.

 

As part of a panel on “Satellite Monitoring of Forest Crime: A Tool for Awareness Raising and Advocacy,” Amazon Conservation presented on how technology meets policy and action through our real-time monitoring MAAP program. Highlights from the presentation include our support of the Peruvian government’s 2019 Operation Mercury and its success in curbing illegal gold mining in La Pampa, the importance of providing technology tools to local communities for them to monitor r own territories safely from the sky, and two case studies of our successful work mobilizing action in the Ecuadorian and Brazilian Amazon.

View the full panel presentation and discussion by visiting here and selecting “Satellite Monitoring of Forest Crime: A Tool for Awareness Raising and Advocacy” under Tuesday, June 27th. Our presentation starts at the 26:30-minute mark.