MAAP #45: Threats to El Sira Communal Reserve in central Peruvian Amazon
El Sira Communal Reserve, located in the central Peruvian Amazon (regions of Pasco, Huánuco and Ucayali), aims to protect the biological diversity of the El Sira Mountain Range in benefit of the native communities of the area (Ashaninka, Yanesha, and…
MAAP #44: Potential Recuperation of Illegal Gold Mining area in Amarakaeri Communal Reserve
In the previous MAAP #6, published in June 2015, we documented the deforestation of 11 hectares in the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve due to a recent illegal gold mining invasion. The Reserve, located in the Madre de Dios region of the…
MAAP #43: Early Warning Deforestation Alerts in the Peruvian Amazon, Part 2
In the previous MAAP #40, we emphasized the power of combining early warning forest loss GLAD alerts with analysis of high-resolution satellite imagery as part of a comprehensive near real-time deforestation monitoring system for the Peruvian Amazon. In the current…
MAAP #40: Early Warning Deforestation Alerts in the Peruvian Amazon
GLAD alerts are a powerful new tool to monitor forest loss in the Peruvian Amazon in near real-time. This early warning system, created by the GLAD (Global Land Analysis and Discovery) laboratory at the University of Maryland and supported by…
MAAP #39: Gold Mining Deforestation Within Tambopata National Reserve Exceeds 350 Hectares
Based on analysis of satellite imagery, we have documented that the deforestation due to illegal gold mining activities within Tambopata National Reserve (Madre de Dios region) now exceeds 350 hectares (872 acres) since the initial invasion in late 2015 (see…
MAAP #30: Gold Mining Invasion of Tambopata National Reserve Intensifies
As described previously in MAAP #21, the illegal gold mining invasion of the Tambopata National Reserve began in late 2015. Here in  MAAP #30, we confirm that this invasion continues to intensify in 2016. Image 30a shows the invasion zone,…
MAAP #29: Construction of New Road between Manu National Park and Amarakaeri Communal Reserve (Madre de Dios)
Here in MAAP #29, we describe the Nuevo Eden-Boca Manu-Boca Colorado road project in the southern Peruvian Amazon (Madre de Dios region). The objective of this article is to show the current state of construction and quantify the direct and…
MAAP #24: Illegal Gold Mining Penetrates Deeper into Tambopata National Reserve
*Note: During the preparation of this analysis, the Peruvian government conducted an operation against the illegal gold mining activity in the area described below (see this news article in Spanish for more information). In MAAP #21, we revealed, using high-resolution…
MAAP #22: Yaguas – Another Big Conservation Opportunity for Peru
Peru recently celebrated a major conservation victory for 2015 with the creation of Sierra del Divisor National Park. Prior to this announcement, Sierra del Divisor was classified as a Reserved Zone, which is a temporary measure to protect an area…
MAAP #21: Illegal Gold Mining Deforestation Enters Tambopata National Reserve (Madre de Dios, Peru) [High-Resolution View]
*Note: During the review process for this article, a major operation against illegal mining activities was carried out by the Peruvian government in the area described below. Image 21a illustrates a recent illegal gold mining invasion of the Tambopata National…