MAAP #160: Lasers Estimate Carbon in the Amazon – NASA’s GEDI Mission
NASA’s GEDI mission uses lasers to provide cutting-edge estimates of aboveground biomass and related carbon on a global scale. Launched in late 2018 and installed on the International Space Station, GEDI’s lasers return an estimate of aboveground biomass density at…
MAAP #155: Deforestation Hotspots in the Venezuelan Amazon
We present here the first report of a series focused on the Venezuelan Amazon, which covers over 47 million hectares of the northern section of the Amazon biome (above western Brazil). As the Amazon Base Map indicates, Venezuela is a…
MAAP #156: Intense Mining Activity in Yapacana National Park (Venezuelan Amazon)
We present the second report in our series focused on the Venezuelan Amazon. The first (MAAP #155) documented the loss of over 140,000 hectares (345,000 acres) of primary forest over the past four years. We also zoomed in on the…
MAAP #158: Amazon Deforestation & Fire Hotspots 2021
We present a detailed look at the major 2021 Amazon forest loss hotspots, based on the final annual data produced by the University of Maryland. This dataset is unique in that distinguishes forest loss from fire, leaving the rest as…
MAAP #157: New and Proposed Roads Across the Western Amazon
Extensive deforestation, especially along the major road networks, has shockingly turned the eastern Brazilian Amazon into a net carbon source (see MAAP #144). Fortunately, the greater Amazon across all nine countries is still a net carbon sink, largely thanks to…
MAAP #154: Illegal Gold Mining in the Peruvian Amazon – 2022 update
Illegal gold mining reached crisis levels in the southern Peruvian Amazon in 2017 and 2018, clearing over 1,200 hectares (3,000 acres) in the most critically impacted area, known as La Pampa (located in the buffer zone of Tambopata National Reserve,…
MAAP #153: Amazon Deforestation Hotspots 2021
We present a first look at the major 2021 Amazon deforestation hotspots.* The Amazon Base Map illustrates several key findings:p We estimate the loss of over 1.9 million hectares (4.8 million acres) of primary forest loss across the nine countries…
MAAP #152: Major Deforestation Continues in Chiribiquete National Park (Colombian Amazon)
Deforestation within and around Chiribiquete National Park represents one of the most critical threats to primary forests in the Colombian Amazon. In this report, we document the recent deforestation of more than 2,000 hectares (4,950 acres) across seven fronts within…
MAAP #151: Illegal Mining in the Ecuadorian Amazon
In this report, we report on illegal gold mining activity in the Ecuadorian Amazon, building off our previous reports on Peru (MAAP #130) and Brazil (MAAP #116). The Base Map shows the two new cases presented below: Yutzupino (Napo province)…
MAAP #150: New Oil Platforms Deeper into Yasuni National Park (Ecuador), towards Uncontacted Indigenous Zone
Yasuni National Park, located in the heart of the Ecuadorian Amazon, is one of the most biodiverse places in the world thanks to its unique location at the intersection of the Amazon, Andes Mountains, and the equator (see Base Map).…