MAAP #130: Illegal Gold Mining Down 78% in Peruvian Amazon, But Still Threatens Key Areas
As part of USAID’s Prevent Project (dedicated to combating environmental crimes in the Amazon), we conducted an updated analysis of illegal gold mining deforestation in the southern Peruvian Amazon. In early 2019, the Peruvian government launched Operation Mercury, an unprecedented…
MAAP #129: Amazon Fires 2020 – Recap of Another Intense Fire Year
Following the intense Amazon fire season of 2019 that made international headlines, here we report another major fire year in 2020. Using the novel data from our real-time Amazon Fires Monitoring app,* we documented over 2,500 major fires across the…
MAAP #128: United Cacao Case – 7 Years After Massive Deforestation in the Peruvian Amazon
Here, we confirm the massive deforestation of primary forest (more than 2,000 hectares) in the Peruvian Amazon by the company United Cacao between 2013 and 2016. We present a series of recently obtained (and never before published) satellite images to…
MAAP #127: Mennonite Colonies Continue Major Deforestation in Peruvian Amazon
The Mennonites, a religious group often associated with organized agricultural activity, have started three new colonies in the Peruvian Amazon. We have documented the deforestation of 8,500 acres (3,440 hectares) in these three colonies over the past four years (updated…
MAAP #126: Drones and Legal Action in the Peruvian Amazon
The southern Peruvian Amazon (Madre de Dios region), is threatened by illegal mining, logging, and illegal deforestation. In response, an association of forest concessionaires (known as ACOMAT) is implementing a comprehensive monitoring system that links the use of technology (satellites…
MAAP: Fires in the Bolivian Amazon 2020
We have detected 120 major fires this year in the Bolivian Amazon, as of the first of October (see Base Map).* The majority of these fires (54%) occurred in savannas, located in the department of Beni. Another 38% of the…
MAAP #125: Detecting Illegal Logging with Very High Resolution Satellites
Illegal logging in the Peruvian Amazon is mainly selective and, until now, difficult to detect through satellite information. In this report, we present the enormous potential of very high resolution satellite imagery (<70 cm) to identify illegal logging. The leading…
Amazon Fire Season Intensifies; Shifts to Raging Forest Fires
We have documented 1,650 major fires in the Brazilian Amazon this year, and well over half (60%) have occurred in September.* We have been detecting around 62 major fires a day during September, relative to 18 in August (and 2…
Brazilian Amazon Fires Intensify in September
Although August was severe, early September saw the Brazilian Amazon fires intensify even more. September shot up to an average of 53 major fires per day across the Brazilian Amazon, up from 18 in August (and 2 in July).* In…
Amazon Fire Tracker 2020: End of August Update (Over 600 Major Fires)
August 2020 just ended its run as a severe Amazon fire month. k Our novel Real-time Amazon Fire Monitoring app has detected 646 major fires in the Brazilian Amazon thus far in 2020.* k Of these, 88% (569 major fires)…