In the heart of the Peruvian Amazon, Indigenous leaders are adding a new tool to their forest protection efforts: drones.

Earlier in August, representatives from the Native Federation of the Madre de Dios River and Tributaries (FENAMAD) and leaders of the Indigenous Council of the Lower Madre de Dios (COINBAMAD) took part in a hands-on training on the use of the latest in drone technology. Over the course of the workshop, participants learned how to safely operate, service, and apply cutting-edge drones to monitor their territories and safeguard their forest homes.

 

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Organized by our sister organization, Conservación Amazónica-ACCA, with support Aktion Amazonas, the Erol Foundation, and the D.N. Batten Foundation, this initiative represents a step forward in transferring technology directly to the Indigenous communities.

“Putting science and technology to work is a central pillar of our conservation work,” said John Beavers, President of Amazon Conservation. “Being able to share this technology with communities that need it to safely protect their resources and rights is essential. This continuous support helps ensure the forest stays standing for local people and for all of us.”

By combining ancestral knowledge with cutting-edge technology, communities in the Madre de Dios region of Peru are strengthening their ability to detect threats such as illegal logging, mining, and deforestation and to safely patrol their forests, avoiding direct conflict with illegal actors that could be deadly to them. These trainings not only provide technical skills but also reinforce the autonomy of Indigenous peoples to defend their territories.

At Amazon Conservation, we believe that empowering communities with tools like drones and satellite monitoring is key to long-term conservation. Together with our partners and donors, we are proud to support these efforts that put technology and decision-making directly in the hands of those who know the forest best.

Ixiamas, Bolivia – August 2025 – This month, we celebrate a landmark victory in the Bolivian Amazon, as the Tacana II Indigenous people finally receive the formal title to their territory, guaranteeing the legal protection of over 670,000 acres of forests.

This historic achievement is the result of over two decades of persistence, commitment, and collective vision to overcome the many challenges in the process, led by the Indigenous communities of Puerto Pérez, Las Mercedes, Toromonas, and El Tigre. This triumph was supported by our sister organization, Conservación Amazónica – ACEAA, in collaboration with strategic allies such as the Andes Amazon Fund (AAF), Conservation International Bolivia, Fundación TIERRA, CIDOB, CPILAP, the Inter-American Development Bank, and other partners who contributed throughout the process. Amazon Conservation and many of our donors – including the International Conservation Fund of Canada (ICFC), the D.N. Batten Foundation, among others – also backed this monumental effort throughout the years.

We would like to thank all the donors, partners, and supporters of Amazon Conservation and our sister organization, Conservación Amazónica – ACEAA, for making this important achievement possible for both people and nature.

A Territory of High Ecological Value

The Tacana II Indigenous Territory is an area of high ecological and strategic importance for the conservation of the Bolivian Amazon. This territory harbors:

– Primary Amazonian forests with high tree diversity, including Brazil nuts (Bertholletia excelsa), palms, and hardwoods.

– Key watersheds such as the Madre de Dios River and its tributaries, which sustain aquatic ecosystems and provide access to water and transportation for local people.

 

– Iconic wildlife such as jaguars, tapirs, spider monkeys, macaws, and hundreds of bird, reptile, and amphibian species.

– Medicinal plants and food that are fundamental to Tacana ancestral knowledge and for their sustainable ways of life.

This territory also serves as a biological corridor, connecting national and transboundary protected areas and contributing to climate resilience, water regulation, and carbon sequestration, especially critical in a context of increasing pressure on Amazonian forests.

 

Territorial Sovereignty and Collective Rights

The Tacana II Indigenous Territory is home to four communities, comprising approximately, and this recognition strengthens their territorial sovereignty, guarantees legal protections for collective land rights, and enables communities to exercise autonomy in territorial management, sustainable use of natural resources, and protection of their culture. 

“This is a great achievement from years of sustained effort,” commented John Beavers, President of Amazon Conservation. “It shows that conservation requires long-term commitment and strong partnerships. Our role is to work together with communities, strengthen them, and protect the forests and rivers that allow the Amazon to thrive.”

 

 

 

A Process Built by and Celebrated in Community

For more than two decades, Amazon Conservation and Conservación Amazónica-ACEAA have supported this process, fostering collaboration between communities, public institutions, and partners. This achievement is shared and celebrated collectively, as a symbol of resistance, dignity, and hope. 

“We are deeply grateful to all our supporters and to Amazon Conservation, whose trust and collaboration helped keep this collective effort alive,” said Marco Terán, Executive Director of Conservación Amazónica-ACEAA. “Their belief in these goals for so many years made this historic moment possible.”

The formal titling of the Tacana II Indigenous Territory represents a victory for environmental justice, biodiversity conservation, and the recognition of Indigenous peoples as guardians of the Amazon.

 

 

A 2025 Status Report by Amazon Conservation’s sister organization, Conservación Amazónica–ACCA, warns that illicit activity is consolidating along Peru’s borders with Ecuador, Colombia, and Bolivia, while also expanding into the interior of Peru from Madre de Dios to Cajamarca and Pasco.

Lima, August 25, 2025 – Illegal gold mining is emerging as one of the main threats to the Peruvian Amazon. An analysis of the current situation was presented at an event in Lima today on “2025 Gold Mining in the Peruvian Amazon, How Are We Doing?” and warns that this illegal activity is already taking place in nine Amazonian regions of the country, affecting up to 73 Indigenous communities and more than 250 bodies of water. This marks a national environmental and social crisis.

During the presentation, it was noted that, in just one year, illegal mining has spread from seven to nine regions with activity now in Cajamarca and Pasco. Madre de Dios remains the epicenter with more than 11,500 hectares (28,400 acres) deforested in the last year. The buffer zone of the Tambopata National Reserve experienced the most significant increase, accounting for 13% of all illegal mining in the region.

This region includes La Pampa, which was once a symbol of the fight against illegal mining activity and is now completely invaded. In this area alone, there are more than 1,600 dredgers, a 21% increase compared to 2024, reflecting the failure of strategies used in recent years to control the spread.

In Loreto, the Nanay River saw a record high of 42 active dredgers. Meanwhile in Huánuco, 1,763 hectares (4,356 acres) of forest were reported deforested in a single year, including within  the Panguana Private Conservation Area.

At the event in Lima, warnings arose about potential conflicts that may emerge from INGEMMET’s (Peru’s Geological, Mining, and Metallurgical Institute) system for managing mining concessions. Of INGEMMET’s 1,036 new mining applications, 136 overlap with Indigenous communities, 48 ​​with protected areas, and 3 with Indigenous reserves; another 693 overlap with rivers and streams. New illegal frontiers are emerging in Ucayali, Cajamarca, and Pasco.

“Hot borders”, an ignored danger

The presentation also demonstrated that illegal mining is no longer limited to the interior of the country. Illegal mining is now established along border regions, with active enclaves in the Chinchipe and Condorcanqui basins (Ecuador), in the Putumayo tri-border area (Colombia), and on the Madre de Dios River (Bolivia). These “hot borders” confirm how urgently Peru must coordinate action with neighboring countries, beyond the isolated actions implemented within its borders.

 

“This panorama is a clear reflection of how the current political situation—including the abandonment of rural and border areas—has allowed the expansion of this illicit activity. In many cases, illegal mining has mutated from a socioeconomic problem into an organized crime structure that erodes not only the Amazon’s riverbeds and forests, but also social structures and governance spaces,” said Sidney Novoa, Director of GIS and Conservation Technologies at Conservación Amazónica-ACCA.

Two unpublished studies were also presented at the event: one on the impact of illegal mining in priority conservation areas in the Peruvian Amazon, and another on the economic valuation of the impacts of illegal gold mining in the Nanay River basin, both of which provide evidence of the magnitude of the environmental and social problem in the region. You can access these studies here:

Minería Ilegal en Áreas Clave para la Biodiversidad y Zonas Prioritarias para la Conservación en La Amazonía Peruana 

Valorización Económica de los Impactos de la Minería Ilegal de Oro en la Cuenca del Rio Nana

The event in Lima on “2025 Gold Mining in the Peruvian Amazon: How Are We Doing?” was carried out within the framework of the project “Reducing the Advancement of Illegal Gold Mining and its Impacts in Priority Biodiversity Areas, Conservation Corridors, and Transboundary Landscapes in Colombia, Peru, and Brazil,” funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation with support from Conservación Amazónica–ACCA, the Peruvian College of Engineers, and the organizations that make up the Illegal Mining Observatory.

 

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About Conservación Amazónica–ACCA

Conservación Amazónica–ACCA is a non-profit organization that has been working in the Peruvian Andes Amazon for 25 years, focusing its efforts on three lines of action: science and technology, protecting natural areas, and empowering people. For more information, please contact: comunicaciones@conservacionamazonica.org

About Amazon Conservation Association
Amazon Conservation is an international conservation nonprofit working for the past 25 years towards building a thriving Amazon. The organization’s holistic approach focuses on working with local partners and allies to protect wild places, empower people, and put science and technology to work for conservation. 

 

 

As we continue to grow and deepen our impact across the Amazon Basin, we’re excited to share that Amazon Conservation Association’s Washington, DC office is moving to a new home.

Starting August 1, 2025, you can find us at:

1025 Connecticut Ave NW.,  Suite 415
Washington, DC 20036

This move marks an important step forward in creating a space that better serves our staff, partners, and the global community of supporters who power our mission to protect the Amazon rainforest.

If you send donations by mail, please update your records to reflect our new address. While mail sent to our previous location will be forwarded for a limited time, using our updated address ensures your support reaches us without delay. All of our other contact information remains the same.

This change comes at a time of renewed energy and commitment. As we celebrate over 25 years of protecting biodiversity, empowering forest communities, and advancing science and policy for conservation, our new office will support us in taking our work to the next level.

Here’s to a new chapter in our shared journey, one that begins in a new space, but with the same unwavering commitment to conservation. Thank you for being part of the Amazon Conservation community.

Our stories don’t end when we do. The decisions we make today can leave an impact that carries forward: protecting the people and places we care about most.

In a time filled with uncertainty, one of the most powerful things we can do is take action to protect what matters most. From standing with Indigenous communities to preserving the region’s unmatched biodiversity, our work is rooted in resilience and partnership.

This August, during National Make-A-Will Month, we invite you to take a moment to reflect on your own legacy. Creating or updating your will ensures that your values and wishes are honored. It can also be a way to expand your impact beyond your lifetime.

To support you in your planning, we’ve partnered with FreeWill, a free and secure tool that guides you through writing your will in about 20 minutes. Through FreeWill, you also have the option to designate Amazon Conservation as a beneficiary of non-probate assets, like a retirement account or life insurance policy.

 

Click here to create or update your legally‑binding will

 

The Amazon is home to unmatched biodiversity and plays a critical role in regulating the global climate. But it’s under increasing threat from illegal deforestation, mining, and fire. Your legacy can help us continue providing real-time satellite data, science-based solutions, and on-the-ground support to Indigenous and local communities defending the forest.

Leaving a gift in your will doesn’t require great wealth, just great intention. Whether large or small, your contribution will help ensure the Amazon remains thriving and resilient for future generations.

When you protect your future, you also strengthen the roots of global conservation. Together, we can expand our canopy—sheltering the planet, its people, and future generations. Thank you for considering a gift that keeps the forest alive.

P.S. Have you already included a gift to Amazon Conservation in your estate plans? Please let us know so we can thank you.

On July 21, Amazon Conservation and our sister organization, Conservación Amazónica-ACCA, partnered with FENAMAD – Native Federation of the Madre de Dios River and Tributaries (Federación Nativa del Río Madre de Dios y Afluentes) to lead the “Training in Technological Tools and Satellite Monitoring in Indigenous Communities” in Puerto Maldonado, Peru, focused on satellite monitoring and geospatial analysis.

The workshop brought together FENAMAD’s technical and legal team, focusing on the staff that goes to visit the communities and work close to the veedores. The objective was to build their capacity to detect and report the analysis to threats, such as illegal mining, logging, and land invasions, using remote sensing tools and legal strategies.

Participants explored key platforms as the analysis using Planet (monthly, daily and Skysat) and Sentinel; and went over other tools like RAMI (from Conservación Amazónica-ACCA), Amazon Mining Watch, and LandTrendr (Amazon Conservation MAAP’s Initiative) that are very useful for the mining detection. The goal is to strengthen Indigenous-led monitoring efforts and ensure community alerts can translate into timely and coordinated responses. 

“The goal is to protect the lives and integrity of Indigenous leaders, because they are the ones most exposed. When a threat is reported, the Federation immediately brings the case to the attention of the public prosecutor’s office”, explains Juan Soto, legal advisor at FENAMAD. The participation of the legal office in the training was key to better understanding how this information is created and receiving their input on what else is needed to work coordinated. “Providing legal security to Indigenous communities has been essential. We’re giving them a real tool to safeguard their rights and physical integrity.”

The work of community monitors, known as veedores comunales, is central to this system. “To protect something, you need to know and build a connection to it. Indigenous forest monitors have a direct relationship with the forest. Their cosmovisión shapes how they see the landscape differently from those of us in the city”, says Piero Rengifo, FENAMAD’s GIS and remote sensing specialist. “But it’s a two-way process; the community’s knowledge is just as vital as the tech. That perspective is key to long-term protection.”

“Monitors alert us to potential threats, and we verify them through the technical team,” adds Joan Aslla, also from FENAMAD’s technical specialists. “This monitoring reduce risks for those on the frontlines and ensures we escalate confirmed cases to the authorities.”

According to Dr. Soto, this coordinated work, powered by community alerts, satellite validation, and legal advocacy, including the Fiscalia’s support, is already impacting on the ground. “Thanks to our collaboration with Amazon Conservation, Conservación Amazónica-ACCA, and support from donors, we’ve successfully stopped illegal activities, obtained prosecutions, and strengthened our relationships with environmental enforcement agencies.”

As part of the training, participants worked on creating standardized templates and protocols that could be shared across FENAMAD’s network of 38 communities. In the future, the project aims to replicate and scale the process, enabling more Indigenous territories to manage and monitoring on satellite data in real-time.

For Nadia Mamani, Senior Geospatial Analyst & Partner Strategy Lead at Amazon Conservation, the initiative’s power lies in its ability to bridge technology, law, and traditional knowledge. “This integration is essential to reversing the spread of illegal activities and supporting Indigenous-led conservation.”

“Technology empowers,” Rengifo adds, “but it’s the deep cultural and ancestral connection that Indigenous people have with the forest that ensures it will be protected for future generations.”

The workshop, made possible through the support of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and Norad, is part of a growing effort to equip Indigenous communities with remote sensing technology and legal pathways to protect the forests they call home.

Every day, throughout the Amazon rainforest, forest rangers rise before dawn. They lace up their boots, check their gear, and set out into one of the most biodiverse, as well as threatened, ecosystems on Earth. On World Ranger Day (July 31), we honor their commitment to safeguarding nature, often under difficult and dangerous conditions.

In the Amazon, rangers are much more than protectors of trees. They are guardians of biodiversity, of Indigenous lands, and oftentimes first responders to threats like illegal logging, mining, and fires. Their presence helps ensure that the forest and the people who depend on it, can continue to thrive.

 

“I love nature, I love the environment, and I love protecting it. I also help guide visitors, reminding them to care for the forest and take their waste with them.”
— Yolanda Quispe Higuera, park ranger from Phinaya, Cusco, Peru, that works our sister organization Conservación Amazónica-ACCA

Through our Amazon Conservation Alliance, made up of Amazon Conservation (U.S.), Conservación Amazónica–ACCA (Peru), and Conservación Amazónica–ACEAA (Bolivia), we work with local park and forest rangers across the region, equipping them with the tools, training, and technology they need to succeed. From GPS and drones to satellite data, we provide modern tools that complement their deep knowledge of the land, allowing them to monitor vast forest areas, identify early signs of deforestation, and respond quickly and safely to emergencies.

Yet for many rangers, what motivates them is not the gear – it’s the mission. Rangers across the Amazon face growing risks: extreme weather, limited access to remote areas, and organized environmental crime. But they continue to show up, day after day, because they know what’s at stake.

This World Ranger Day, we invite you to stand with them.

By supporting our work, you’re helping us expand ranger programs, train new people, and ensure that forest guardians have the support they need to keep the Amazon standing, for wildlife, for climate, and all of us.

Photo: Yolanda Quispe Higuera, park ranger from Phinaya, Cusco, Peru | Credits: Fernanda Lacerda

From the roots of an açaí palm to the canopy where monkeys swing and toucans call, the Amazon is alive with food — not just for the animals that call it home, but for people around the world.

On World Rainforest Day (June 22nd), we’re honoring the vital connection between forests and food. In the Amazon, this connection is woven into every tree, animal, and community.

Açaí berries, pollinated by bees and beetles, nourish families and fuel local economies. The towering palma real trees feed tapirs, deer, and rodents, who return the favor by spreading its seeds. Brazil nuts take over a year to ripen and rely on bees and agoutis for their survival in a delicate, ancient partnership. And the cacao and cupuaçu palm trees, cared for by generations of Indigenous and forest communities, offer us cacao and chocolate in flavors as rich as the forest they come from.

These foods are more than just products. They’re part of a living system that supports over 16,000 tree species, 390 million individual trees, and countless lives.

But that system is under threat.

Deforestation and climate change are unraveling the delicate web that makes the Amazon the world’s greatest rainforest and one of its greatest food sources. When we lose the forest, we don’t just lose trees. We lose pollinators. We lose livelihoods. We lose nourishment. We lose balance.

This World Rainforest Day, take action to protect the forest that unites and feeds us.

Your support helps us defend forests from illegal mining, fires, and deforestation while uplifting the communities who care for them. Together, we can ensure that the Amazon continues to thrive, not just for its own sake, but for the future of food, climate, and life itself.

[Donate now] to keep the Amazon thriving and resilient.

 

 

We’re proud to announce that we’ve earned the 2025 Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency, the highest level of recognition for nonprofit accountability and openness!

At Amazon Conservation, we believe that protecting the Amazon rainforest goes hand in hand with building trust. That’s why we make it a priority to share clear, comprehensive information about who we are, how we work, and the impact we’re making across the Amazon basin.

This Platinum Seal from Candid – the leading source of nonprofit data, previously GuideStar – reflects our ongoing commitment to transparency. From our program outcomes and leadership to financial information and strategic goals, our profile gives you an open window into how your donations drive real impact on the ground.

As we face growing environmental challenges and shifts in global weather patterns, we know that transparency, collaboration, and trust are more important than ever. This recognition is a testament to the collective effort of our team, donors, partners, and supporters – and to our dedication to making our mission visible, impactful, and measurable, every step of the way.

Thank you for standing with us in protecting the Amazon.

Learn more: https://app.candid.org/profile/7790364/amazon-conservation-association-52-2211305 

Last week, staff members from our Alliance, comprised of Amazon Conservation, Conservación Amazónica – ACCA, and Conservación Amazónica – ACEAA attended the 15th Annual meeting of the Governors’ Climate & Forests Task Force (GCF Task Force) in Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil. The event this year set up essential  discussions regarding the co-construction of a New Forest Economy that strengthens forest protection, supports land restoration, and fosters sustainable economic growth and job opportunities across the region.

The GCF Task Force was established in 2008 to bring together a coalition of states and provinces across 11 countries to safeguard tropical forests and advance practical approaches to rural development that preserve these forests. Today, it’s the world’s largest platform for this type of subnational collaboration dedicated to tropical forest protection, consolidating a network of entities to support strong environmental governance, green financing, protection of territorial rights, and the well-being of Indigenous Peoples and local communities to strategize effective subnational, national, and international pathways for sustainable economic development that supports livelihoods and reduces deforestation.

Similar to our community-integrated approach to conservation that empowers local people, our Alliance has been working to build a forest-based economy in Peru and Bolivia for the past 10+ years, and is currently working on expanding these efforts into Brazil. We consider this approach to be one of the most effective ways to avoid forest conversion in the long term by providing economic opportunities that rely on standing forests. 

This year’s annual meeting marked an important step forward for Amazon Conservation, as our Alliance hosted a special side event called “People at the Center of Bioeconomic Transitions: Uniting Small Producers, Indigenous Peoples, and Local Communities,” to share progress updates on the development of the bioeconomy and facilitate dialogues between local producers in the Madre de Dios (Peru), Acre (Brazil), and Pando (Bolivia) regions of the Amazon. “My family lives inside the Chico Mendes Reserve here in Acre. Mother Nature feeds us, so we must treat her with care. What we need now are credit lines that actually reach our cooperatives. We discussed that capital is one of the missing pieces for communities like ours”, emphasized Vanusa Ferreira, one of the leaders at Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve. 

The exchange of experiences among producers of these countries sparked fresh hope and a collaborative spirit grounded in shared missions. As Manoel de Jesus, President of the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve Association, said, “We’re going home energized. The proposals shaped here, together with partners from Peru, Bolivia, and beyond, show that when we stand united, we have a bright future.” 

Marcos Terán, Executive Director of Conservación Amazónica – ACEAA in Bolivia, added that “bringing producers from Peru and Bolivia to share lessons in Brazil charts a common road toward a forest-based bioeconomy. The southwestern Amazon is not just productive land, it’s a climate engine. Solutions must start with local actors to get them scaled up.”

This session also included engagement from private sector company representatives and investors who have integrated investing in Amazonian organizations and/or communities that harvest forest-based products, connecting small-scale producers and Indigenous communities with potential business partners. As discussions progressed, participants reflected on the challenges of investing in cross-border supply chains and climate adaptation, exploring strategic opportunities for joint impact, and implementing best practices to strengthen sustainable development for the bioeconomy. As we aim to expand these efforts into the productive forests of Brazil, this side event acted as a key space to further boost and support local initiatives that can bolster local producers’ entrance into the global non-timber forest product market. 

“A key insight from these dialogues is that increasing the value of Amazonian forest products, through integrated, internationally recognized supply chains, is vital for long-term forest conservation and for livelihoods that truly value and empower local communities,” concluded Blaise Bodin, Director of Strategy & Policy at Amazon Conservation.