MAAP #102: Saving the Ecuadorian ChocĂł
The Ecuadorian ChocĂł, located on the other (western) side of the Andes Mountains from its Amazonian neighbor, is renowned for its high levels of endemic species (those that live nowhere else on Earth). It is part of the “Tumbes-ChocĂł-Magdalena” Biodiversity…
MAAP #101: Deforestation Continues in Colombian Amazon (2019)
A major deforestation surge continues in the northwest Colombian Amazon (MAAP #97). In 2018, it resulted in the loss of 199,000 hectares (491,700 acres)*, making it the most concentrated deforestation hotspot in the entire western Amazon (MAAP #100). Here, we…
MAAP #100: Western Amazon – Deforestation Hotspots 2018 (a regional perspective)
For the 100th MAAP report, we present our first large-scale western Amazon analysis: Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, and western Brazil (see Base Map). We use the new 2018 data for forest cover loss, generated by the University of Maryland (Hansen…
MAAP #99: Detecting Illegal Logging in the Peruvian Amazon
In the Peruvian Amazon, most of the logging is selective (not clearcutting), with the targets being higher-value species. Thus, illegal logging is difficult to detect with satellite imagery. In MAAP #85, however, we presented the potential of satellite imagery in…
MAAP #98: Deforestation Hotspots in the Peruvian Amazon, 2018
Thanks to early warning forest loss alerts,* we are able to make an initial assessment of the 2018 deforestation hotspots in the Peruvian Amazon. The Base Map highlights the medium (yellow) to high (red) hotspots. In this context, hotspots are…
MAAP #97: Deforestation Surge in the Colombian Amazon, 2018 update
The Colombian Amazon is currently experiencing a deforestation surge (see graph). The surge started three years ago (2016) and peaked in 2017 with the highest annual deforestation on record (214,744 hectares).* Deforestation remains high in 2018: 156,722 hectares (based…
MAAP #96: Gold Mining Deforestation at Record High Levels in Southern Peruvian Amazon
Gold mining deforestation has been at record high levels in both 2017 and 2018 in the southern Peruvian Amazon. Based on an analysis of nearly 500 high-resolution satellite images (from Planet and DigitalGlobe), we estimate the deforestation of 18,440 hectares …
MAAP Synthesis #3: Deforestation in the Andean Amazon (Trends, Hotspots, Drivers)
MAAP, an initiative of the organization Amazon Conservation, uses cutting-edge satellite technology to monitor deforestation in near real-time in the megadiverse Andean Amazon (Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, and Bolivia). The monitoring is based on 5 satellite systems: Landsat (NASA/USGS), Sentinel (European…
MAAP #95: Oil Palm Baseline for the Peruvian Amazon
In previous reports, we have documented that oil palm is one of the deforestation drivers in the Peruvian Amazon (MAAP #41, #48). However, the full extent of this sector’s deforestation impact is not well known. A newly published study assessed…
MAAP #94: Detecting Logging in the Peruvian Amazon with High Resolution Imagery
In MAAP # 85, we showed how medium and high-resolution satellites (such as Landsat, Planet and Sentinel-1) could be used to monitor the construction of logging roads in near-real time. Here, we show the potential of very high-resolution satellites (such…