Last year (2020), we demonstrated the power of our real-time Amazon fire monitoring app (see MAAP #118 and MAAP #129). In a novel approach, the app uniquely combines data from the atmosphere (aerosol emissions in smoke) and the ground (heat anomaly alerts) to quickly and precisely detect major Amazon fires.* Using the app, we just detected the first two major fires in the Brazilian […]

Our real-time satellite monitoring efforts recently discovered that deforestation across the nine countries of the Amazon reached an all-time high in 2020. Over 5.6 million acres of irreplaceable forests were lost, an increase of 17% over 2019. The effects of this rampant deforestation are many: loss of habitat and potential extinction of wildlife species, increased […]

1) Know What’s at Stake As an ecosystem, the Amazon is one of the most biodiverse places on earth. Over 3 million species live in the rainforest, and over 2,500 tree species (or 1/3 of all tropical trees that exist on earth) help create and maintain this vibrant ecosystem. More and more, biodiversity is at risk. There’s a reason why […]

An image provided by the International Space Station has been circulating around the internet showing an aerial view of cascading ‘rivers of gold’ in the Peruvian Amazon. These fascinating ‘rivers’ are in fact destructive and toxic pits that form as a result of illegal gold mining activities. Though these pits are a common sight for […]

Even in a year as unexpected and uncertain as 2020, our supporters have continued to show up when we’ve needed you most. So this Giving Tuesday we’re not asking for you to lend us hand with a financial contribution (although, of course, we always welcome donations to make conservation happen!), but we’re asking you to […]