Earlier this year, the government of Peru launched a multi-sectoral and comprehensive mega-operation aimed at eradicating illegal mining and associated crime in La Pampa, Peru, called Operation Mercury. The operation came about in part after Amazon Conservation, through our real-time monitoring program, provided the Peruvian government with key information on the location of illegal mining camps that enabled the government to take coordinated action.

The operation, named after the mercury contaminant that is released into the water as a byproduct of the mining process, took the information we provided and began major efforts to stop the widespread deforestation in the area caused by illegal miners, improve development in the region, and deter other illicit activities such as sex trafficking and child labor that take place in mining camps.

Using our real-time satellite technology and drone overflights, we have been assessing the success of the operation in stopping illegal gold mining. To date, we have found a major reduction in deforestation from gold mining in La Pampa due to the operation. Gold mining-based deforestation has decreased by 92% between 2018 (2,200 acres) and 2019 (165 acres), comparing the situation before and after the start of Operation Mercury.

Despite its significant success, the gold mining deforestation in La Pampa has not yet been completely eradicated and continues in numerous remote and isolated areas, as we show in our latest MAAP report. However, the results of the operation are a big win for conservation, as they show that strong government action can help curb illegal deforestation. And when action does take place, we have seen that forests begin to recover and grow back.  

Amazon Conservation will continue to assess the progress of the operation, and work closely with the government to produce fact-based reports that can be turned into action on the ground.

Our Co-Founder and Ecologist Enrique Ortiz made the news recently through an opinion piece on what can be done to reverse current trends in deforestation and ensure that economic development in the Amazon is not at odds with conservation.

Although deforestation in the Amazon is on the rise, Ortiz highlights that recent success stories show that policies could be established to reverse the trend, at a relatively low cost compared with other climate change mitigation strategies. Incentives for small- and large-scale producers can promote sustainable agricultural practices when farmers tap into underutilized land and improve efficiencies, and economic incentives could encourage reforestation.

Amazon Conservation is implementing many of these conservation solutions on the ground right now, including training farmers and forest users on how to conserve their land and showing them the economic benefits of conservation. Forest users working with Amazon Conservation have seen significant increases in their income because the forest products they harvest are coming from healthier forests. 

Read the full article at The New York Times.

Los Amigos Bird Observatory | Cotingas, manakins, and toucans are among the many fruit-eating birds found in the tropical forest. Unlike the species in temperate zones, tropical bird species have evolved to depend on this resource year-round. However, fruits are a food supply that can be highly patchy in time and space. In areas with pronounced wet and dry seasons, fruit abundance typically peaks during the wet season and is lowest during the dry season. Now, with the end of the rainy season, the abundance is coming to an end. So what will the fruit-eating birds rely on?

Through Amazon Conservation’s Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Project (MAAP), we identify, analyze, track, and publicize deforestation taking place in the Amazon in real-time using high-tech, satellite imagery. We use this information to make local authorities, policymakers, and the general public aware of what is happening on the ground.

Recently, we conducted an in-depth analysis of 2018 data on forest cover loss and found that 2.5 million acres were deforested in the western Amazon (Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, and western Brazil) last year. An average of 5 acres was lost per minute to deforestation last year. Our additional analysis indicated that, of this total, 1.9 million acres were primary forests, which play a vital role as carbon sinks, mediators of the global water cycle and cradles of biodiversity. 

The combination of forces driving deforestation varies in each country. Land grabbing, unsustainable agricultural activities and expansion, and gold mining were among the key drivers of deforestation that we identified in this region.  

Read more on our 100th MAAP Report.

Exploring the trails of the station

The Global Big Day (GBD) is a date in which amateurs and experts in birds from around the world seek to see the greatest number of species in their locality. However, it is not only a date in which healthy competition between countries is observed, but also a great opportunity to educate about the diversity of birds worldwide. Like every year, at Los Amigos we were eager to participate in this event and give our best.

At the station, three bird guides from the regions of Madre de Dios and Cusco led this year’s GBD. Jose Luis Avendaño, Percy Avendaño and Cesar Bollatty have more than 20 years of experience touring Peru, including numerous visits to the station. Their knowledge of the species in the area and the station was key to end the day with a total of 331 species sighted, a new record for the station in a GBD.

On May 4, at 4:30 in the morning we were already on the trails in search of the most nocturnal species. Among them we recorded the Crested Owl (Lophostrix cristata), the Long-tailed Potoo (Nyctibius aethereus) and the Ocellated Poorwill (Nyctiphrynus ocellatus). The search for the various species of the station continued until 3:30 in the afternoon, when a heavy rain caused the forest to be silenced and we had to stop our search. After eleven hours of intense search, we are the second group with the most species sighted in Peru!

Although we could not spot species such as the Pale-winged Trumpeter (Psophia leucoptera) and the Cocoi Heron (Ardea cocoi), species commonly sighted in Los Amigos, we managed to spot other species not so easily observed in other places. The Pavonine Quetzal (Pharomachrus pavonivus), the Great Jacamar (Jacamerops aureus), the Royal Flycatcher (Onychorhynchus coronatus), the Spangled Continga (Cotinga cayana) and the Bar-bellied Woodcreeper (Hylexetastes stresemanni) are among the rare species that we spotted during this event.

The Global Big Day 2019 was a great day for Los Amigos. Everyone who participated had a great day, enjoying the diversity offered by the station and always learning a little more. I’m sure the birders around the world enjoyed May 4th as much as we did at the station!