We have entered the peak deforestation season in the Peruvian Amazon, so it is also a critical time for real-time monitoring (MAAP’s specialty). Here, we highlight the major deforestation events documented so far in 2020 (through August 23). The Base Map shows the current forest loss hotspots, indicated by the colors yellow, orange and red. Below, we present the most urgent deforestation cases, caused […]
In the Peruvian Amazon, the widespread illegal logging is difficult to detect with satellites because it is selective for high-value species (not clearcutting). It is possible, however, to detect the associated logging roads. In this report, we present a novel technique to identify illegal logging: analyze new logging roads in relation to detailed land use data available from government […]
Newly released data for 2019 reveals the loss of over 1.7 million hectares (4.3 million acres) of primary Amazon forest in our 5 country study area (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru).* That is twice the size of Yellowstone National Park. Table 1 shows 2019 deforestation (red) in relation to 2018 (orange). Primary forest loss in the Brazilian Amazon (1.29 million hectares) […]
Thanks to the support of the USAID, via the Prevent Project, dedicated to the prevention and combat of environmental crimes in the Amazon, we conducted a detailed analysis of recent illegal gold mining deforestation in the southern Peruvian Amazon. The objective is to understand the trends from early 2017 to June 2020 (which includes the first part of the mandatory quarantine […]
As presented in MAAP #118, Amazon Conservation launched a real-time fire monitoring app that specializes in detection of elevated aerosol emissions from burning Amazon fires. As detailed below, the app detected the second major 2020 fire on June 8, 2020 in Mato Grosso, Brazil. Step 1. Detection of elevated emissions in the southeastern Brazilian Amazon (Mato Grosso). Step 2. Zoom […]
Here we present a first look at 2020 deforestation of primary forest in the Colombian Amazon, in relation to the new published annual data for 2019.* This new data confirms that deforestation decreased in 2019 (91,400 hectares) after a peak in 2018 (153,900 hectares). Table 1 shows the recent trend: a major deforestation spike following the 2016 peace agreement (between the Colombian government […]
The Brazilian Amazon fires made international headlines last year. By analyzing an archive of satellite imagery (from Planet Explorer), we made the major discovery that many of the 2019 fires were actually burning recently deforested areas (MAAP #113). In fact, many of the fires were burning areas deforested earlier that same year of 2019. Thus, we may predict 2020 fire locations based […]
In time for the next fire season, we are relaunching an improved version of our Amazon real-time fire monitoring app, hosted by Google Earth Engine. When fires burn, they emit gases and aerosols.* A new satellite (Sentinel-5P from the European Space Agency) detects these aerosol emissions.* The major feature of the app is user-friendly and real-time identification of major fires across the […]
Yasuní National Park, located in the heart of the Ecuadorian Amazon, is one of the most biodiverse spots in the world and overlaps ancestral Waorani territory. In the recent MAAP #114, we showed the construction of four new oil drilling platforms (and access road) in the controversial ITT oil block, located in the heart of Yasuní. […]
We present the second part of our series on Amazon gold mining, with a focus on the Brazil* Specifically, we focus on mining in indigenous territories in the Brazilian Amazon. Extractive activities, such as gold mining, are constitutionally not permitted on indigenous lands, but the Bolsonaro administration is advancing a bill (PL 191) that would reverse this. The Base Map indicates […]
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