MAAP Synthesis #3: Deforestation in the Andean Amazon (Trends, Hotspots, Drivers)

Download a PDF of this Article MAAP, an initiative of the organization Amazon Conservation, uses cutting-edge satellite technology to monitor deforestation in near real-time in the megadiverse Andean Amazon (Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, and Bolivia). The monitoring is based on 5 satellite systems: Landsat (NASA/USGS), Sentinel (European Space Agency), PeruSAT-1, and the companies Planet and DigitalGlobe. For more information about our innovative methodology, see this recent paper […]


MAAP #64: Good News Deforestation Stories (Peruvian Amazon)

  We admit that most MAAP stories are about the bad news of Amazon deforestation. But fortunately    there is good news as well. Here we highlight 5 good news stories from the Peruvian Amazon that show how near real-time monitoring may lead to halting deforestation from emerging threats, such as gold mining and large-scale agriculture […]


MAAP #52: Update – Fires Degrade 11 Protected Areas in Northern Peru

In the previous MAAP #51, we gave an initial impact assessment regarding the recent wave of fires in protected areas in northern Peru. Here, we provide a more comprehensive update. Our revised estimate is 6,594 acres (2,668 hectares) burned in 11 Protected Areas (see Image 52a) in late 2016. Note that the image is from November and smoke […]


MAAP #51: Fires Degrade 7 Protected Areas in Northern Peru

  Peru’s intense 2016 fire season continues, most recently hitting the northern part of the country. As seen in this map on the left, during November 2016 the highest concentration of fire alerts (as detected by the VIIRS satellite sensor) were concentrated in the headwaters of the northern Amazon basin (departments of Cajamarca, Piura, and […]


MAAP #46: Gold Mining Deforestation Within Tambopata National Reserve Exceeds 1100 Acres

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 […]


MAAP# 44: Potential Recuperation of Illegal Gold Mining Area in Amarakaeri Communal Reserve

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 […]


MAAP #43: Early Warning Deforestation Alerts in The Peruvian Amazon, Part 2

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 […]


MAAP #42: Papaya – New Deforestation Driver in Peruvian Amazon

In the previous MAAP #26, we published a preliminary map of Deforestation Hotspots in the Peruvian Amazon for 2015. Subsequently in 2016, we have been compiling information to improve understanding on the potential causes (drivers) of deforestation in the identified hotspots. In this article, we focus on a medium-intensity hotspot located along the newly paved Interoceanic […]


MAAP #41: Confirming Large-Scale Oil Palm Deforestation in The Peruvian Amazon

In the previous MAAP #4, we documented the deforestation of 6,464 hectares (15,970 acres) between 2011 and 2015 associated with a large-scale oil palm project in the central Peruvian Amazon (Ucayali region) operated by the company Plantaciones de Pucallpa. In addition, we found that the majority of this deforestation occurred in primary forests,1 although there was also clearing of secondary […]