MAAP #98: Deforestation Hotspots In The Peruvian Amazon, 2018

Thanks to early warning forest loss alerts,* we are able to make an initial assessment of the 2018 deforestation hotspots in the Peruvian Amazon. The Base Map highlights the medium (yellow) to high (red) hotspots. In this context, hotspots are the areas with the highest density of forest loss alerts. Note that the most intense hotspots are concentrated in […]


MAAP #97: Deforestation Surge In The Colombian Amazon, 2018 Update

The Colombian Amazon is currently experiencing a deforestation surge (see graph). The surge started three years ago (2016) and peaked in 2017 with the highest annual deforestation on record (214,744 hectares).* Deforestation remains high in 2018: 156,722 hectares (based on early warning alert data).* If this estimate is confirmed, it would be the second highest on record (behind just 2017). National […]


MAAP #96: Gold Mining Deforestation At Record High Levels In Southern Peruvian Amazon

Gold mining deforestation has been at record high levels in both 2017 and 2018 in the southern Peruvian Amazon. Based on an analysis of nearly 500 high-resolution satellite images (from Planet and DigitalGlobe), we estimate the deforestation of 18,440 hectares across southern Peru during these last two years. That is equivalent to 45,560 acres (or 34,400 American football fields) in just two years. The Base Map highlights […]


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 #95: Oil Palm Baseline for The Peruvian Amazon

In previous reports, we have documented that oil palm is one of the deforestation drivers in the Peruvian Amazon (MAAP #41, #48). However, the full extent of this sector’s deforestation impact is not well known. A newly published study assessed the deforestation impacts and risks posed by oil palm expansion in the Peruvian Amazon. Here, […]


MAAP #94: Detecting Logging in The Peruvian Amazon With High Resolution Imagery

In MAAP # 85, we showed how medium and high-resolution satellites (such as Landsat, Planet and Sentinel-1) could be used to monitor the construction of logging roads in near-real time. Here, we show the potential of very high-resolution satellites (such as DigitalGlobe and Planet’s Skysat), to identify the activities associated with logging, including illegal logging. These […]


MAAP #93: Shrinking Primary Forests of The Peruvian Amazon

The primary forests of the Peruvian Amazon, the second largest stretch of the Amazon after Brazil, are steadily shrinking due to deforestation. Here, we analyze both historic and current data to identify the patterns. The good news: As the Base Map shows, the Peruvian Amazon is still home to extensive primary forest.* We estimate the current […]


MAAP #92: New Deforestation Threats In The Peruvian Amazon (Part 2: Agriculture Expansion)

In this ongoing series, we describe major new projects that may lead to the rapid deforestation of large areas of primary Amazon forest. The first report (MAAP #84) described the deforestation associated with the construction of the Yurimaguas – Jeberos road (see Base Map), which crosses extensive primary forest and a priority site for conservation in the Loreto […]


MAAP #91: Introducing Perusat-1, Peru’s New High-Resolution Satellite

In September 2016, Peru’s first satellite, PeruSAT-1, launched. It is Latin America’s most powerful Earth observation satellite, capturing images at a resolution of 0.70 meters. The cutting-edge satellite was constructed by Airbus (France) and is now operated by the Peruvian Space Agency, CONIDA. The organization Amazon Conservation was granted early access to the imagery to boost efforts related […]


Maap #90: Using Drones To Monitor Deforestation And Illegal Logging

For the past three years, the organization Amazon Conservation has been working to establish a sustainable, local-based drones program for environmental monitoring in the southern Peruvian Amazon (Madre de Dios region). This program is based on two types of drones, multi-rotor (helicopter style) and fixed-wing (airplane style). One of the main objectives is to improve the near real-time monitoring of deforestation […]