The company Planet is pioneering the use of high-resolution “small satellites” (Image 59a). They are a fraction of the size and cost of traditional satellites, making it possible to produce and launch many as a large fleet. Indeed, Planet now operates 149 small satellites, known as Doves, the largest fleet in history. The Doves capture color […]
Just 3.5 hours northeast of Cusco—via a spectacular drive through the snow-capped Andes—Wayqecha Cloud Forest Biological Station and Birding Lodge is one of the world’s best sites to explore the lush cloud forest ecosystem bordering Manu National Park. Situated where the eastern slopes of the Andes meet the Amazon lowlands, the cloud forest absorbs moisture from passing […]
In previous articles MAAP #56 and MAAP #57, we presented a series of striking satellite images of the recent deadly floods in northern Peru. Satellites provide additional types of data critical to better understanding events such as extreme flooding. Here, we present two more types of satellite data related to the flooding: ocean water temperature […]
Using a scientific approach to conservation is at the core of how we achieve our mission of protecting the Amazon. Our biological stations serve as research hubs for scientists from all over the world to study the rainforest, and we count on the leadership of three incredible women to support hundreds of studies every year. […]
Block 57 – Repsol Block 67
In the previous MAAP #56, we showed a series of satellite images of the deadly floods that recently hit northern Peru. In this report, we show a series of new, very high resolution satellite images (50 cm) of the flooding. They show, in striking detail, some of the local impacts, including to croplands and […]
Intense rainfall is causing severe and deadly flooding along the northern coast of Peru. The cause is likely “coastal El Niño,” a phenomenon produced by abnormal ocean warming along the equatorial coast of the Pacific Ocean. Image 56a shows a preliminary estimate of the flooded areas along the northern coast (in red). We created this […]
In the previous MAAP #54, we described the phenomenon of natural forest loss due to “hurricane winds,” showing several examples from 2016 in the Peruvian Amazon. Strong winds from these localized storms can knock down hundreds of acres of forest at a time. In January 2017, GLAD tree loss alerts indicated two new hurricane wind events in the southern Peruvian […]
An area equivalent to over 8,000 football fields in the heart of the Amazon rainforest is now protected. After years of work supporting the Association of Young Conservationists of Alto Pilcomayo (AJCAP), ACA has helped declare the area of Alto Pilcomayo in the Peruvian Amazon as a protected conservation area. What makes this new conservation […]
Jaguars are indicative of a healthy forest; as apex predators, they play a significant role in controlling the populations of other species which helps maintain balance in the food chain and environment. However, in many of the communities surrounding the Manuripi National Amazon Wildlife Reserve in the Bolivian Amazon, jaguars were not perceived in a […]