MAAP #91: Introducing PeruSAT-1, Peru’s new High-resolution Satellite
In September 2016, Peru’s first satellite, PeruSAT-1, launched. It is Latin America’s most powerful Earth observation satellite, capturing images at a resolution of 0.70 meters. The cutting-edge satellite was constructed by Airbus (France) and is now operated by the Peruvian…
MAAP #90: Using Drones to monitor Deforestation and Illegal Logging
For the past three years, the organization Amazon Conservation has been working to establish a sustainable, local-based drones program for environmental monitoring in the southern Peruvian Amazon (Madre de Dios region). This program is based on two types of drones,…
MAAP #89: Impacts of Mining Project “Mirador” in the Ecuadorian Amazon
MAAP #89: Impacts of Mining Project “Mirador” in the Ecuadorian Amazon https://maaproject.org/mirador-ecuador/ The Ecuadorian Amazon is experiencing a growing number of conflicts directly related to oil and mining extraction projects. Here, we focus on the “Mirador” mining project, an open…
MAAP #88: Deforestation Hotspots in the Ecuadorian Amazon
MAAP #88: Deforestation Hotspots in the Ecuadorian Amazon https://maaproject.org/ecuador-hotspots/ Here, we highlight deforestation hotspots, the areas with the highest deforestation densities, in the mega-diverse Ecuadorian Amazon. We then zoom in and focus on a dynamic area in the north that…
MAAP #87: Gold Mining deforestation continues in the Peruvian Amazon
We have reported extensively on the ongoing gold mining deforestation crisis in the southern Peruvian Amazon (see Archive), estimating the loss of over 17,500 acres in the five years between 2013 and 2017. Here, we present new analysis showing that…
MAAP Colombia: Chiribiquete – Deforestation Hotspots in the Colombian Amazon, part 3
MAAP #86: Deforestation Hotspots in the Colombian Amazon, part 3: Chiribiquete-Macarena We present our third report* in a series investigating deforestation hotspots in the Colombian Amazon. Here, we focus on the “Chiribiquete-Macarena” hotspot, located between the Chiribiquete and La Macarena…
Science Magazine_Combating Deforestation: From Satellite to Intervention
************************************************************************************************** Science Magazine:Â Combating deforestation: From satellite to intervention Full text Reprint (PDF): *Note: The article can only be viewed for free via this author page. ************************************************************************************************ A new policy article entitled “Combating deforestation: From satellite to intervention” was just…
MAAP #85: Illegal Logging in the Peruvian Amazon, and how Satellites can help address it
We propose a new tool to address illegal logging in the Peruvian Amazon: using cutting-edge satellites to monitor logging road construction in near real-time. Illegal logging in the Amazon is difficult to detect because it is selective logging of individual…
MAAP #84: New Threats to the Peruvian Amazon (Part 1: Yurimaguas-Jeberos Road)
The efforts and international commitments of the Peruvian Government to reduce deforestation may be compromised by new projects do not have adequate environmental assessment. In this series, we address the most urgent of these projects, those that threaten large areas…
MAAP #83: Climate Change Defense: Amazon Protected Areas and Indigenous Lands
Tropical forests, especially the Amazon, sequester huge amounts of carbon, one of the main greenhouse gases driving climate change. Here, we show the importance of protected areas and indigenous lands to safeguard these carbon stocks. In MAAP #81, we estimated…