MAAP #179: Soy Deforestation in the Bolivian Amazon
It is generally known that commodities such as oil palm, soy, and cattle are major tropical deforestation drivers, but concise estimates are often difficult. New satellite-based datasets are improving this situation. Notably, researchers recently published the first overview of soybean…
MAAP #174: Following Raid, Illegal Mining Camps Still Intact on Yapacana Tepui (Venezuela Amazon)
Several weeks ago (on December 17, 2022), the Venezuelan government conducted a military operation against illegal mining activity in Yapacana National Park, located in the heart of the Venezuelan Amazon. This operation came just after a high-profile article in the…
MAAP #173: Rapid Increase of Mining Deforestation in Yapacana National Park (Venezuelan Amazon)
We continue our series on the Venezuelan Amazon (see MAAP #155), with a special focus on the key protected area of Yapacana National Park. In recent reports, we showed that Yapacana is currently experiencing intense illegal mining activity with likely…
MAAP #171: Deforestation in Mining Corridor of Peruvian Amazon (2021-2022)
Gold mining continues to be one of the main deforestation drivers in the southern Peruvian Amazon (Madre de Dios region). In a recent report (MAAP #154), we highlighted the key cases of illegal mining in this area. In an attempt…
MAAP #168: Amazon Fire Season 2022
Here we provide a concise review of the 2022 Amazon fire season, based on the unique data from our real-time Amazon Fires Monitoring app.* In a novel approach, the app combines data from the atmosphere (aerosol emissions in smoke) and…
MAAP #166: Mennonites have deforested 4,800 hectares (11,900 acres) in the Peruvian Amazon
Since 2017, the Mennonites have arrived in the Peruvian Amazon and created 5 new colonies. Here, we show that these colonies have caused the deforestation of more than 4,800 hectares (11,860 acres) of tropical forest, including 650 hectares (1,600 acres)…
MAAP #164: Amazon Tipping Point – Where Are We?
It is increasingly reported that the largest rainforest in the world, the Amazon, is rapidly approaching a tipping point. As repeatedly highlighted by the late Tom Lovejoy (see Acknowledgements), this tipping point is where parts of the rainforest will convert…
MAAP #165: Confirming Deforestation by Mennonites in the Peruvian Amazon
In a series of previous reports, we have documented the extensive recent deforestation from new Mennonite colonies arriving in the Peruvian Amazon (see MAAP #149). However, despite the extensive evidence provided by satellite images, the Mennonites have repeatedly denied this…
MAAP #169: Mining on Top of Yapacana Tepui (Yapacana National Park, Venezuela)
Tepuis are stunning table-top mountains found in northern South America. They are considered sacred by indigenous groups of the region; in fact, the word tepui means “house of the gods” in a local indigenous language. Tepuis also have high levels…
MAAP #161: Soy Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon
The Amazon Soy Moratorium has often been credited with significantly reducing soy-related deforestation in the Amazon over the past 15 years. The Moratorium is a voluntary zero-deforestation agreement in which traders agree not to purchase soy grown on land cleared…