Put Science and Technology to Work MAAP Reports

We analyzed hundreds of high-resolution satellite images to calculate the amount of recent (October 2012 – October 2016) gold mining deforestation in the southern Peruvian Amazon: 30,895 acres. Combining this finding with previous studies, we estimate the total gold mining deforestation of around 154,440 acres in the region. Image 50a shows the recent gold mining deforestation in red, […]

Amazon Birder’s Bulletin

The Amazon Birder’s Bulletin is a bi-monthly newsletter about nature and birding at Amazon Conservation’s three birding lodges in Peru. Each of our birding lodges are open to the public, and they host thousands of birders, researchers, and students alike every year. Staying in our lodges is an opportunity to spot hundreds of species of amazing birds, […]

Put Science and Technology to Work MAAP Reports

In a series of articles, we have previously detailed the progress of gold mining deforestation in the southern Peruvian Amazon (mainly in the Madre de Dios region). In the current report, we show the new gold mining frontiers in northern and central Peru (Image 49a): two cases in the region of Amazonas and a case […]

MAAP Reports

New sugarcane plantations have caused the deforestation of more than 6,175 acres (2,500 hectares) in the department of La Paz. https://news.mongabay.com/2016/10/exclusive-rainforest-rapidly-cleared-for-sugarcane-in-bolivia/ https://news.mongabay.com/2016/11/another-700-hectares-of-bolivian-rainforest-lost-to-sugarcane-surge/

Put Science and Technology to Work MAAP Reports

In MAAP #26, we presented a 2015 Deforestation Hotspots map for the Peruvian Amazon, which showed that the highest concentration of deforestation is located in the central Amazon region. Here, we zoom in on one of these hotspots, located in the northern Huanuco region along its border with San Martin (see Inset E of Image […]

Put Science and Technology to Work MAAP Reports

The Peruvian Amazon is experiencing an intense 2016 fire season due to one of its driest periods in decades. In recent weeks, we have presented a series of articles showing the power of the new GLAD alerts in detecting deforestation in near real time. Here, we go a step further and also evaluate alerts to detect fires in near real […]

Put Science and Technology to Work MAAP Reports

In previous articles, we documented the illegal gold mining invasion of Tambopata National Reserve (Madre de Dios region in the southern Peruvian Amazon) in November 2015 and the subsequent deforestation of 350 hectares as of July 2016. Here, we report that the mining deforestation in the Reserve now exceeds 450 hectares (1,110 acres) as of September 2016. Image […]

Put Science and Technology to Work MAAP Reports

El Sira Communal Reserve, located in the central Peruvian Amazon (regions of Pasco, Huánuco and Ucayali), aims to protect the biological diversity of the El Sira Mountain Range in benefit of the native communities of the area (Ashaninka, Yanesha, and Shipibo-Conibo indigenous groups). This report presents an initial threat assessment for this large national protected […]

Put Science and Technology to Work MAAP Reports

In the previous MAAP #6, published in June 2015, we documented the deforestation of 11 hectares in the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve due to a recent illegal gold mining invasion. The Reserve, located in the Madre de Dios region of the southern Peruvian Amazon, is an important protected area that is co-managed by indigenous communities and Peru’s National Protected […]

Put Science and Technology to Work MAAP Reports

In the previous MAAP #40, we emphasized the power of combining early warning forest loss GLAD alerts with analysis of high-resolution satellite imagery as part of a comprehensive near real-time deforestation monitoring system for the Peruvian Amazon. In the current MAAP, we present 3 new examples of this system across different regions of Peru. Click on the images […]