Amazon Deforestation Trends, 2001-2019
These graphs correspond to MAAP Synthesis: 2019 Amazon Deforestation Trends and Hotspots.…
MAAP #115: Illegal Gold Mining in the Amazon, part 1: Peru
In a new series, we highlight the main illegal gold mining frontiers in the Amazon. Here, in part 1, we focus on Peru. In the upcoming part 2, we will look at Brazil. The Base Map indicates our focus areas…
MAAP #112: Mennonite Colonies – New Deforestation Driver in the Amazon
The Mennonites, a religious (Christian) group often dedicated to organized agriculture, are increasingly inhabiting the western Amazon (Peru and Bolivia). Here, we reveal the recent deforestation of 18,500 acres (7,500 hectares) in three Mennonite colonies (see the Base Map below).…
MAAP #107: Seeing the Amazon Fires with Satellites
Fires now burning in the Amazon, particularly Brazil and Bolivia, have become headline news and a viral topic on social media. Yet little information exists on the impact on the Amazon rainforest itself, as many of the detected fires originate…
MAAP #105: From satellite to drone to legal action in the Peruvian Amazon
Amazon Conservation, in collaboration with its Peruvian sister organization, is implementing a project aimed at linking cutting-edge technology (satellites and drones) with legal action, in the southern Peruvian Amazon (Madre de Dios region). The project is building a comprehensive deforestation…
MAAP #104: Major Reduction in Illegal Gold Mining from Peru’s Operation Mercury
In February 2019, the Peruvian government launched Operation Mercury (OperaciĂłn Mercurio), a major multi-sectoral crackdown on the illegal gold mining crisis in the area known as La Pampa,* located in the southern Peruvian Amazon (Madre de Dios region). Note that…
MAAP #100: Western Amazon – Deforestation Hotspots 2018 (a regional perspective)
For the 100th MAAP report, we present our first large-scale western Amazon analysis: Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, and western Brazil (see Base Map). We use the new 2018 data for forest cover loss, generated by the University of Maryland (Hansen…
MAAP #99: Detecting Illegal Logging in the Peruvian Amazon
In the Peruvian Amazon, most of the logging is selective (not clearcutting), with the targets being higher-value species. Thus, illegal logging is difficult to detect with satellite imagery. In MAAP #85, however, we presented the potential of satellite imagery in…
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…
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 …