MAAP #201: Amazon Deforestation & Carbon Update for 2023
As national policymakers begin the global COP28 climate summit in Dubai, we provide here a concise update on the current state of Amazon forest loss and remaining carbon reserves, both based on the latest cutting-edge data. For Amazon forest loss,…
MAAP #195: Gold Mining Deforestation in the Southern Peruvian Amazon, 2021-2023
In the context of overall Amazon gold mining, where illegal mining is rampant, southern Peru is an important case study given that the government has created the “Mining Corridor“, where mining is allowed in order to organize and promote this…
MAAP #199: Amazon Carbon Update, based on NASA’s GEDI Mission
As we approach the COP28 climate summit, starting in Dubai in late November, we provide here a concise update on the current state of remaining Amazon carbon reserves. We present the newly updated version of NASA’s GEDI data1, which uses…
MAAP #197 : Illegal Gold Mining Across the Amazon
Illegal Gold Mining continues to be one of the major issues facing nearly all Amazonian countries. In fact, following the recent high-level summit of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, the nations’ leaders signed the BelĂ©m Declaration, which contains a commitment…
MAAP #192: Confirming Deforestation by Mennonites in the Peruvian Amazon
In a series of reports, we have documented the recent massive deforestation by Mennonite colonies in the Peruvian Amazon (see MAAP #188). Here, we present additional evidence that Mennonites are currently clearing primary Amazon forests: very high-resolution satellite imagery (0.5…
MAAP #188: Mennonite Colonies Continue Major Deforestation in the Peruvian Amazon
Starting in 2017, new Mennonite colonies began appearing in the Peruvian Amazon, coming from other parts of Latin America in search of new lands. TheMennonites, a global religious group dating back to the 1600s, often require vast tracts of land…
MAAP #189: Amazon Fire Season Heats Up
The Amazon fire season is well under way: to date, we have detected over 260 major fires thus far in 2023 (see Base Map below). This year is of special concern because scientists indicate we have entered a new El…
MAAP #187: Amazon Deforestation & Fire Hotspots 2022
We present a detailed look at the major 2022 Amazon forest loss hotspots, based on the final annual data recently released by the University of Maryland (and featured on Global Forest Watch). This dataset is unique in that it is…
MAAP #185: Gold Mining Deforestation in the Southern Peruvian Amazon: 2021-2022 Update
Gold mining continues to be one of the main causes of deforestation in the southern Peruvian Amazon, especially in the Madre de Dios region. Here, we provide a comprehensive look at the most recent (2021-2022) gold mining-related deforestation in the…
MAAP #183: Protected Areas & Indigenous Territories Effective Against Deforestation Across Amazon
As deforestation continues to threaten primary forest across the Amazon, key land use designations are one of the best hopes for the long-term conservation of critical remaining intact forests. Here, we evaluate the impact of two of the most important: …