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MAAP #35: Confirming Amazon Deforestation by United Cacao in 2013 [High Res View]

Posted on by dcadmin

To date, we have published 4 MAAP articles* tracking deforestation by the company United Cacao in the northern Peruvian Amazon (outside the town of Tamshiyacu in the Loreto region). In these articles, based on analysis of satellite imagery, we have documented the deforestation of 2,380 hectares (5,880 acres) related to this project.

The company, however, continues to deny this deforestation**. In general, their main response seems to be that the land in question had been deforested for previous agricultural projects prior to their arrival in 2013.

Here in MAAP #35, we show definitively that this assertion simply does not match the satellite evidence. This article is based on analysis of recently-acquired satellite images from early 2013, the time period that the cacao project began. These images show, in extremely high resolution, the large-scale deforestation of primary forest in the project area between March and September 2013.*** Click each image to enlarge.

It is important to resolve the deforestation-related issues because the company has plans to expand its agricultural land bank in the coming years. Please see this recent statement from the Peruvian Forestry Service (SERFOR) for details on the legal aspect of this case.

As a reference, at the end of the article there is a graphic (Image 35l) illustrating the difference (as seen in high-resolution imagery) between primary forest, secondary vegetation, agricultural areas, and deforested areas.

New Evidence of Large-Scale Deforestation in 2013

We recently obtained high-resolution satellite imagery from March 25, 2013, immediately before the beginning of the deforestation for the cacao project. Image 35a shows the same exact project area between March (left panel) and September (right panel) 2013. In March, the project area is predominantly covered with primary forest*** and contains only a few scattered patches of previously disturbed land. In contrast, in September, the project area is clearly undergoing a large-scale deforestation event (1,100 hectares at that time).

Image 35a. Data: Airbus, Digital Globe (Nextview)
Image 35a. Data: Airbus, Digital Globe (Nextview)

Zoom A

In the following series of images, we show zooms of the areas indicated by Insets A-E in Image 35a. Each image shows the same exact area within the cacao project between March (left panel) and September (right panel) 2013. In all images, one can clearly see intact forest in March followed by large-scale deforestation in September.

Image 35b. Data: Airbus, Digital Globe (Nextview)
Image 35b. Data: Airbus, Digital Globe (Nextview)
Image 35c. Data: Airbus, Digital Globe (Nextview)
Image 35c. Data: Airbus, Digital Globe (Nextview)

Zoom B

Image 35d. Data: Airbus, Digital Globe (Nextview)
Image 35d. Data: Airbus, Digital Globe (Nextview)
Image 35e. Data: Airbus, Digital Globe (Nextview)
Image 35e. Data: Airbus, Digital Globe (Nextview)

Zoom C

Image 35f. Data: Airbus, Digital Globe (Nextview)
Image 35f. Data: Airbus, Digital Globe (Nextview)
Image 35g. Data: Airbus, Digital Globe (Nextview)
Image 35g. Data: Airbus, Digital Globe (Nextview)

Zoom D

Image 35h. Data: Airbus, Digital Globe (Nextview)
Image 35h. Data: Airbus, Digital Globe (Nextview)
Image 35i. Data: Airbus, Digital Globe (Nextview)
Image 35i. Data: Airbus, Digital Globe (Nextview)

Zoom E

Image 35j. Data: Airbus, Digital Globe (Nextview)
Image 35j. Data: Airbus, Digital Globe (Nextview)
Image 35k. Data: Airbus, Digital Globe (Nextview)
Image 35k. Data: Airbus, Digital Globe (Nextview)

Reference Graphic

Finally, for reference, Image 35l illustrates the difference (as seen in high-resolution imagery) between primary forest, secondary vegetation, agricultural areas, and deforested areas.

References

*MAAP #27, MAAP #13, MAAP #9, MAAP #2

**See articles in Directors Talk, La Region, y The Guardian

***see MAAP #9 for details on our time-series analysis dating back to 1985 that revealed that the vast majority of the project area is primary forest

Citation

Finer M, Cruz C, Novoa S (2016) Confirming Amazon Deforestation by United Cacao in 2013 [High Res View].  MAAP: 35.

MAAP #36: New Gold Mining Frontier in The Northern Peruvian Amazon

Posted on by dcadmin

In several previous MAAP articles, we have detailed gold mining deforestation in the southern Peruvian Amazon. Here, we provide evidence of the first known case of gold mining deforestation in northern Peru.

A recent news article published by the Peruvian organization DAR reported that gold mining activity continues to increase in the Santiago River (see Image 36a), located in the Amazonas region of the northern Peruvian Amazon. The article also mentions that this gold mining activity is no longer restricted to the river, but is now entering the forest. There are mining concessions in the area, but according to a recent article published in The Guardian, the miners are not operating legally with permission from the concessionaire.

Here, we show the first satellite images that confirm that the mining activity is indeed causing deforestation along the Santiago River (see below). Click each image to enlarge.

Image 36a. Credit: DAR, April 2016
Image 36a. Credit: DAR, April 2016

Satellite Images of Gold Mining Deforestation in Northern Peru

Image 36b shows a high-resolution image of the newly deforested area due to mining activity along the Santiago River (see yellow circle). The total forest loss to date is 8 hectares (20 acres).

Image 36b. Data: Planet Labs
Image 36b. Data: Planet Labs

Image 36c shows that the deforestation occurred between August 2014 (left panel) and August 2015 (right panel).

Image 36c. Data: USGS/NASA
Image 36c. Data: USGS/NASA

Citation

Finer M, Novoa S (2016) Gold Mining Deforestation in the Northern Peruvian Amazon. MAAP: 36.

The Body Shop Foundation Supports Tarwi Project in Peru

Posted on by Ana Folhadella

The Body Shop Foundation Supports Tarwi Project in Peru Tarwi may not be a well-known legume in the US, but it is helping farmers in Peru not only sustain themselves financially, but also improve soil quality!

Thanks to extremely generous support from the The Body Shop Foundation, ACA has been working with local communities in the Andean highlands to plant and harvest tarwi on their land. Tarwi is an ancient Andean legume that has nitrogen-fixing properties, which can improve soil fertility and help reduce agricultural expansion, contributing toward the conservation of threatened highland forests. This means that farmers can plant it on degraded land and it will not only help restore the minerals in the soil, but will also be a good source of food to be consumed and sold. The crop has also been proven to deliver favorable returns for beneficiaries, as it has a strong local and regional market.

The tarwi project supports the livelihoods of 31 farmers across these communities by providing them with important information and constant technical support to promote best practices for a productive tarwi harvest. Through this project, ACA is helping to strengthen the tarwi farmers’ association Flor Azul (“Blue Flower” in English), referring to the crop’s delicate blue flowers. Together, we have already successfully improved market access and created a rotating seed fund, which ensures healthy harvests in the future and is central to maintaining the vibrant agricultural and biological diversity for which the region is known.

 

Local Partnerships in Bolivia Helping the Amazon Thrive  

Posted on by Ana Folhadella

In Bolivia, our sister organization ACEAA (Asociación Boliviana para la Investigación y Conservación de Ecosistemas Andino Amazónicos) is partnering with the local government of Pando to provide technical expertise for the preparation of a long-range plan to protect the Amazon and implement conservation projects on the ground.

“Working with the Pando government has been very rewarding,” says ACEAA’s Executive Director, Marcos Terán, “It is great to see their dedication to protect the local environment and all the great things we can accomplish together.” The local government has created public policies for land use and, together with ACEAA, has identified several areas of focus for environmental protection in the Pando region. ACEAA is supporting conservation projects in the area that are focused on addressing human-wildlife conflicts, managing natural resources and developing and protecting conservation areas.The two entities have also collaborated on creating a new conservation planning framework for the region. A great win for the Amazon! 

New Forest Protection Project in Peru! 

Posted on by Ana Folhadella

The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) has approved a grant of over $2 million dollars to ACA to help monitor and protect the forests in Peru! This exciting project will build capacity for near real-time deforestation monitoring efforts and forestry management in the country, helping us achieve REDD+ goals in the Peruvian Amazon.

The goal of the project is to help local governments and civil society operate active, effective and transparent near real-time deforestation monitoring systems, as well as train local stakeholders on using technical tools needed in this process. There will also be a component to help implement social and environmental policies and practices that reduce the pressure on forests. This project starts this year and will be funded until 2020, and will be done in partnership with our sister organization Conservación Amazónica (ACCA), the Peruvian Society for Environmental Law (SPDA) and Wake Forest University.

Make sure to keep an eye on our website where we’ll be announcing more information on this project soon! We thank NORAD for their continued collaboration to help us protect the Amazon! For more information on NORAD, visit: https://www.norad.no/en/front/ 

Birds Dominated the Month of May!  

Posted on by Ana Folhadella

May is a big birding month not only in North America, but across the world. ACA took part in some major birding activities throughout the month and we were excited to meet old and new birding friends!

The Biggest Week in American Birding took place in early May, to much success. The 10-day annual festival was organized and hosted by Black Swamp Bird Observatory and featured workshops, guided birding activities, half-day birding bus tours, keynote speakers, and more. Thousands of birders descended upon northwest Ohio to participate in the festival and observe the spring migration of songbirds. ACA marked our presence with a table and chatted with birders about our recently-renovated birding lodges in Peru.

We also participated in the Global Big Day, an international movement for participants to catalog as many bird species as possible in one calendar day. To raise awareness about bird diversity and conservation in Peru, our biological research stations participated in the Global Big Day, with impressive results! Our Los Amigos station recorded 246 bird species while our Villa Carmen station recorded 257 species – the second highest in the world!  All of our stations were in the top 20 in the world in terms of number of bird species recorded.

ACA’s sister organization in Peru, Conservación Amazónica (ACCA), along with other local partners, held in May the first bird-banding course in southeast Peru at our Wayqecha Cloud Forest Biological Station. Instructors included ACA staff, representatives of local organizations, and graduate students from the University of Florida. Thirteen Peruvian students participated in over 60 hours of instruction. The course was offered in coordination with the Tenth National Ornithological Conference, held in Chachapoyas, Peru. 

ACA researcher concerned about dramatic decline in rainforest frogs

Posted on by Ana Folhadella

ACA researcher concerned about dramatic decline in rainforest frogsFor two decades now, Alessandro Catenazzi, Ph.D., an assistant professor of zoology at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, has been using the ACA biological stations in the Peruvian rainforest to learn more about the frog population in the region.

Catenazzi and his colleagues have made several important discoveries that increase our understanding about amphibian diversity and threats, and help inform conservation priorities. One of these is that highland creek frogs are declining dramatically due to chytrid, a fungus considered the most significant threat to the world’s amphibian populations. “I have memories of working there in the 1990’s and just walking along these creeks, and there were all these frogs calling and the pools were full of tadpoles,” he said during a recent interview with ACA. ACA researcher concerned about dramatic decline in rainforest frogs Andrew Catenazzi“Now the creeks are dead zones.” 

Another discovery found that lowland frog populations show little tolerance for climate change, where an increase of only two degrees Celsius could be problematic for their survival. Recent temperature trends recorded by Catenazzi and his team are alarming. “So far this year, temperatures in the rainforest have been off the charts,” Catenazzi noted. “And when you look at mathematical models predicting temperatures that the rainforest is expected to experience in the years ahead, the future for lowland rainforest frogs appears to be very bleak.” These findings provide still another reason why nations need to slow global warming, he stressed.

Through his many years studying the frog population in the Andes-Amazon, Catenazzi has given the scientific community and the public at large a greater understanding about the issues facing frog populations. For more information about Catenazzi’s research, visit his blog at: http://www.catenazzilab.org/  

MAAP #34: New Dams on The Madeira River in Brazil Cause Forest Flooding

Posted on by dcadmin

The Amazon lowlands have been connected to the Andes Mountains for millions of years by only six major rivers: the Caqueta, Madeira, Maranon, Napo, Putumayo, and Ucayali* (see Image 34a). This intimate connection allows rich Andean nutrients to fuel the Amazon floodplain and enables long-distance catfish migration between feeding grounds in the lowlands and spawning grounds in the highlands.

Image 34a. Data: Esri, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, USDA, AEX, Getmapping, Aerogrid, IGN, IGP, swisstopo
Image 34a. Data: Esri, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, USDA, AEX, Getmapping, Aerogrid, IGN, IGP, swisstopo

However, one of these six major Andean tributaries has recently been dammed on its main channel: the Madeira River in western Brazil (See Inset A). The Santo Antônio dam was completed in 2011, followed by the upstream Jirau dam in 2013.

Note in Image 34a that these dams are are located downstream of the Madre de Dios River in southern Peru. Thus, major ecological impacts — such as blocking the route of migratory catfish**— are also very relevant to Peru.

Here in MAAP #34, we describe the forest loss—over 36,100 hectares—associated with the flooding caused by these two dams (with a focus on the Jirau dam).

Zoom A: Forest Loss due to Flooding

Image 34b shows the forest loss due to flooding immediately upstream of the Jirau dam. As of 2015, the total flooded area for both dams is 36,139 hectares (89,301 acres). Major flooding was first detected in 2010, rose substantially in 2011-12, and peaked in 2014.

According to Fearnside 2014, although much of the forest along the Madeira is seasonally flooded, it dies when permanently flooded.*** Therefore, the flooded area is an appropriate measure of forest loss.

Further below, we show a series of satellite images of the areas indicated by Inset B (see Images 34c-e) and Inset C (see Image 34f).

Image 34b. Flooding-related forest loss along the Upper Madeira River. Data: USGS, CLASlite, Hansen/UMD/Google/USGS/NASA.
Image 34b. Flooding-related forest loss along the Upper Madeira River. Data: USGS, CLASlite, Hansen/UMD/Google/USGS/NASA.

Zoom B: Flooding Immediately Upstream Jirau Dam

Image 34c shows the flooding immediately upstream of the Jirau dam between 2011 (left panel) and 2015 (right panel). The red dot is a point of reference that indicates the same place in both images. Below, we show high-resolution images of the areas indicated by Insets B1 and B2.

Image 34c shows the flooding immediately upstream of the Jirau dam between 2011(left panel) and 2015 (right panel).
Image 34c shows the flooding immediately upstream of the Jirau dam between 2011(left panel) and 2015 (right panel).

Zooms B1 and B2: Jirau Dam and Flooding

Image 34d shows a high-resolution view of the Jirau dam in July 2015. Image 34e shows a high-resolution view of a portion of the flooded area immediately upstream of the Jirau dam in August 2015. The red dot is a point of reference that indicates the same place in both panels.

Image 34d. High-resolution view of the Jirau dam. Data: WorldView-2 from Digital Globe (NextView).
Image 34d. High-resolution view of the Jirau dam. Data: WorldView-2 from Digital Globe (NextView).
Image 34e: High-resolution view of flooded area immediately upstream of the Jirau dam. Data: WorldView-2 from Digital Globe (NextView).
Image 34e: High-resolution view of flooded area immediately upstream of the Jirau dam. Data: WorldView-2 from Digital Globe (NextView).

Zoom C: Flooding Further Upstream of Jirau Dam

Image 34f shows the flooding further upstream of the Jirau dam between 2011 (left panel) and 2015 (right panel). The red dot is a point of reference that indicates the same point in both images.

Image 34e: High-resolution view of flooded area immediately upstream of the Jirau dam. Data: WorldView-2 from Digital Globe (NextView).
Image 34e: High-resolution view of flooded area immediately upstream of the Jirau dam. Data: WorldView-2 from Digital Globe (NextView).

References

*Finer M, Jenkins CN (2012) Proliferation of Hydroelectric Dams in the Andean Amazon and Implications for Andes-Amazon Connectivity. PLOS ONE: 7(4): e35126. Link: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0035126

**Duponchelle F et al (2016) Trans-Amazonian natal homing in giant catfish. J. Appl. Ecol. http://doi.org/bd45

***Fearnside PM (2014) Impacts of Brazil’s Madeira River dams: Unlearned lessons for hydroelectric development in Amazonia. Environmental Science & Policy 38: 164-172.

Citation

Finer M, Olexy T (2015) New Dams on the Madeira River (Brazil) Cause Forest Flooding. MAAP: 34.

MAAP #33: Illegal Gold Mining Alters Course of Malinowski River (Border of Tambopata National Reserve)

Posted on by dcadmin

In MAAP #30, we described the illegal gold mining invasion of Tambopata National Reserve, an important protected area in the southern Peruvian Amazon (department of Madre de Dios). Here in MAAP #33, we show that illegal gold mining is also altering the course of the Malinowski River, which forms the natural boundary of the Reserve. Image 33a shows the two areas where we have documented a total artificial deviation (cutting) of 4.4 km (2.7 miles) of the river (see details below).

Image 33a. Data: Planet Labs, SERNANP
Image 33a. Data: Planet Labs, SERNANP

Zoom A: A Recent Deviation of the Malinowski River

Image 33b shows the final stage of the deviation of the Malinowski River between March 31 (left panel) and May 3 (right panel) of this year in the area indicated by Inset A in Image 33a. The new flow of the river is clearly seen in the right panel, cutting a 1.7 km stretch of the previous course.

Image 33b. Data: Planet Labs, Digital Globe (Nextview)
Image 33b. Data: Planet Labs, Digital Globe (Nextview)

Image 33c shows with greater precision how the Malinowski river was diverted in this area between April and May 2016. The red arrow indicates the exact same place across time in the three images.

Image 33c. Data: Digital Globe (Nextview)
Image 33c. Data: Digital Globe (Nextview)

Zoom B: An Earlier Deviation of the Malinowski River

In February 2016, Peruvian specialists presented how mining activity had recently changed the natural course of the Malinowski river in the area indicated in Inset B*. Image 33d shows the progressive change: from the increase in mining activity along the normal course of the river in June 2013 (left panel), to the new stretch of riverbed in June 2015 (center panel), and finally to the expansion of mining activity along the previous course (right panel). The red dot indicates the same place over time in the three images. A total of 2.7 km was cut from the previous river course.

Image 33d. Data: Digital Globe (Nextview), Planet Labs
Image 33d. Data: Digital Globe (Nextview), Planet Labs

Ecological Impacts

According to Dr. Carlos Cañas**, coordinator of the Amazon Waters Initiative for Wildlife Conservation Society in Peru, the deviation of the natural course of the Malinowski River will have significant ecological impacts, including:

  • Although the Malinowski River’s course has natural movement, the changes documented in MAAP #33 definitely represent an artificial alteration caused by mining activity.
  • These artificial changes are altering the course of the Malinowski from one that is “narrow and defined” to one that is “wide and scattered.” This change impacts the river’s flood patterns by changing the intensity, timing, and frequency of flooding along the river’s banks. This implies an effect on the migratory behavior of many species of fish downstream, which receive and interpret signals from the river to guide vital functions like feeding and reproduction.
  • The river’s new wider course also causes the velocity of water downstream to decrease, which will lead to increased levels of sediment in the discharge zone of the largest tributary, the Tambopata. Given the nature of the Tambopata, this could provide the almost-permanent damming of the Malinowski, as greater volume of the Tambopata means more sedimentation at the mouth of the river. Among other things, this could hinder the entry of fish to their feeding zones.
  • As seen in Image 33d, fish access to certain areas will be interrupted by the blockade and closure of channels. Also, the connection between the floodable forest and the river channel is completely altered, if not interrupted, in this section of the river. Many fish species that eat fruit or vegetation from the adjacent forest depend on this seasonal connection for food.
  • The Malinowski River, since it is a tributary of the Tambopata River, has natural areas that are crucial to the reproduction of many local species. Its tributary streams represent habitats that differ from the main river and harbor an incredible variety of fish and invertebrates that contribute to the biodiversity of the river basin. These streams have little sediment, and are thus highly transparent. Mining will destroy or drastically alter these environments, severely impacting this biodiversity.

Referencias

*Villa L., Campos L. G., Pino I. M. (01 de febrero de 2016). Primer Sistema de Alerta Temprana de Geoinformación (SAT-GI) para Áreas Naturales Protegidas del Perú: Reserva Nacional Tambopata y el Ámbito de Madre de Dios del Parque Nacional Bahuaja Sonene. Reporte Nº 001-2016.

** Cañas CM, Waylen PR (2011) Modelling production of migratory catfish larvae (Pimelodidae) on the basis of regional hydroclimatology features of the Madre de Dios Basin in southeastern Peru. Hydrol. Process. DOI: 10.1002/hyp.8192.

**Cañas CM, Pine WE (2011) DOCUMENTATION OF THE TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL PATTERNS OF PIMELODIDAE CATFISH SPAWNING AND LARVAE DISPERSION IN THE MADRE DE DIOS RIVER
(PERU): INSIGHTS FOR CONSERVATION IN THE ANDEAN-AMAZON HEADWATERS. River Res. Applic. 27: 602–611.

Citation

Finer M, Novoa S (2016)  Illegal Gold Mining Alters the Course of the Malinowski River (border of Tambopata National Reserve). MAAP: 33.

MAAP #32: Large-Scale vs. Small-Scale Deforestation in the Peruvian Amazon

Posted on by dcadmin

In the previous MAAP #25 and MAAP #26, we illustrated deforestation hotspots in the Peruvian Amazon for the periods 2012-2014 and 2015*, respectively. Here in MAAP #32, we present a complementary analysis based on the size of deforestation events.

Graph 32a shows the comparative results of deforestation patterns between 2013 and 2015, indicating that:
– Small-scale (< 5 hectares) accounted for the vast majority of deforestation events (70-80%) each year.
– Medium-scale (5-50 hectares) accounted for approximately 20% of the deforestation events each year.
– Large-scale (> 50 hectares) deforestation was variable. In 2013, the year with the most activity of new cacao and oil palm plantations, it accounted for 8% of the deforestation events. In 2015 it was only 1%.

In summary, small- and medium-scale deforestation events represent more than 90% of the total and a constant threat, while large-scale deforestation events represents a latent threat. As described below, large-scale projects can quickly cause massive deforestation events, and should therefore remain a high priority.

Graph 32a. Data: PNCB/MINAM, UMD/GLAD
Graph 32a. Data: PNCB/MINAM, UMD/GLAD

*We have increased our deforestation estimate for 2015 to 163,238 hectares (403,370 acres), the second highest on record (behind only 2014). This estimate is based on GLAD alerts, produced by University of Maryland, Google, and Global Forest Watch.

Base Map

Image 32a shows, in graphic form, the deforestation patterns described above for 2013 (left panel) and 2015 (right panel). Further below, we show zooms for three key zones in the north, central, and south, respectively.

Image 32a. Data: PNCB/MINAM, UMD/GLAD
Image 32a. Data: PNCB/MINAM, UMD/GLAD

Northern Peruvian Amazon

Image 32b shows a zoom of the northern Peruvian Amazon for 2013 (left panel) and 2015 (right panel). In general, there is a pattern of small-scale deforestation along the rivers of Loreto. Additionally, in 2013, there were large-scale deforestation events for a cacao project located to the southeast of the city of Iquitos (see MAAP #27 for more details) and for oil palm plantations along the border of Loreto and San Martin regions (see MAAP #16 for more details). In 2015, the expansion of deforestation continued in these areas, but at a medium-scale.

Image 32b. Data: PNCB/MINAM, UMD/GLAD
Image 32b. Data: PNCB/MINAM, UMD/GLAD

Central Peruvian Amazon

Image 32c shows a zoom of the central Peruvian Amazon for 2013 (left panel) and 2015 (right panel). In general, there is a concentration of small- and medium-scale deforestation between northwest Ucayali and southeast Huánuco. Additionally, in 2013, there is large-scale deforestation for two new oil palm plantations located northeast of the city of Pucallpa (see MAAP #4 for more details).

Image 32c. Data: PNCB/MINAM, UMD/GLAD
Image 32c. Data: PNCB/MINAM, UMD/GLAD

Southern Peruvian Amazon

Image 32d shows a zoom of the southern Peruvian Amazon for 2013 (left panel) and 2015 (right panel). In general, there is a pattern of small- and medium-scale deforestation along the Interoceanic highway in Madre de Dios. Additionally, there is the persistence of large-scale deforestation in southern Madre de Dios related to illegal gold mining (see MAAP #12 for more details).

Image 32d. Data: PNCB/MINAM, UMD/GLAD
Image 32d. Data: PNCB/MINAM, UMD/GLAD

Citation

Finer M, Novoa S (2016) Large-scale vs. Small-scale Deforestation in the Peruvian Amazon. MAAP: 32.