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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 October 2020). The deforestation started in 2017, but continues to be active in 2020 (with […]| MAAP
The Mennonites, a religious group often associated with agricultural activity, have become one of the major deforestation drivers in the Peruvian Amazon. In October 2020, we reported the deforestation of over 3,400 hectares across three new colonies established. Here, we show that in 2021 the Mennonites have established a fourth colony (over 400 hectares) and […]| MAAP
Starting in 2017, new Mennonite colonies began appearing in the Peruvian Amazon, coming from other parts of Latin America in search of new lands. TheMennonites, a global religious group dating back to the 1600s, often require vast tracts of land to support their characteristic large-scale, industrialized agricultural activity. In a series of reports, we have demonstrated […]| MAAP
Since 2017, the Mennonites have arrived in the Peruvian Amazon and created 5 new colonies. Here, we show that these colonies have caused the deforestation of more than 4,800 hectares (11,860 acres) of tropical forest, including 650 hectares (1,600 acres) in 2022. The Base Map shows the current situation regarding the Mennonites in Peru. Note […]| MAAP
The Mennonites, a religious (Christian) group often dedicated to organized agriculture, are increasingly inhabiting the western Amazon (Peru and Bolivia). Here, we reveal the recent deforestation of 18,500 acres (7,500 hectares) in three Mennonite colonies (see the Base Map below). The two colonies in Peru (Tierra Blanca and Masisea) are new, causing the deforestation of 6,200 […]| MAAP
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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) and Punino (border of Napo and Orellana provinces). Both cases showed alarming expansion in 2021 […]| MAAP
Gold mining is one of the major deforestation drivers across the Amazon, with well-known cases in Peru, Brazil, and Venezuela. In a recent series of technical articles*, in collaboration with the Ecuadorian organization Foundation EcoCiencia, we have also shown that gold mining is escalating in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Here, we summarize the results from the series and […]| MAAP
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This is the second in a series of reports detailing the expansion of gold mining in the Ecuadorian Amazon. In the first report (MAAP #227), we analyzed mining expansion in the northern sector, around the Cofán Bermejo Ecological Reserve, near the Colombian border. In this current report, we focus on mining deforestation in the central […]| MAAP
Continuing our annual series, we present a detailed look at the major 2024 Amazon forest loss hotspots, based on the final annual data recently released by the University of Maryland and featured on Global Forest Watch. As in other reports of the series, we take this global dataset and analyze it for the Amazon specifically. This forest loss […]| MAAP
Illegal gold mining poses a challenge to environmental sustainability, governance, and security for all nine countries of the Amazon. The high price of gold on the international market has fueled the growth of this activity, combined with other factors such as the scarcity of economic alternatives, the presence of illicit groups, corruption, and a lack […] The post MAAP #228: Illegal Gold Mining in the Puré and Cotuhé Rivers in the Colombian Amazon appeared first on MAAP.| MAAP
In a recent report (MAAP #226), we presented data from Amazon Mining Watch (AMW), a collaboration between Amazon Conservation, Earth Genome, and the Pulitzer Center. This public resource uses AI (artificial intelligence) to detect gold mining deforestation across the Amazon, starting in 2018. The Base Map illustrates the current data, highlighting the most recent mining […]| MAAP
As gold prices continue to increase, small-scale gold mining activity also continues to be one of the major deforestation drivers across the Amazon. It often targets remote areas, thus impacting carbon-rich primary forests. Moreover, in many cases, we presume that this mining is illegal based on its location within conservation areas (such as protected areas and […]| MAAP
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.| MAAP
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.| MAAP
In a series of reports, we have demonstrated that the Mennonites have become a leading cause of large-scale deforestation in the Peruvian Amazon. The Mennonites, a global religious group dating back to the 1600s, often require vast tracts of land to support their characteristic industrialized agricultural activity. As such lands have become scarce in other […]| MAAP
In a series of previous reports, we warned about the emergence and expansion of mining deforestation in the Ecuadorian Amazon (MAAP #151, MAAP 182, MAAP #219). Illegal mining in Ecuador tends to operate in remote areas, such as protected areas. Furthermore, this activity’s proximity to Colombia and Peru facilitates cross-border flows essential for the gold trade. […]| MAAP
In a series of previous reports, we warned about the emergence and expansion of illegal mining deforestation in the heart of the Ecuadorian Amazon, in the area surrounding the Punino River, located between the provinces of Napo and Orellana (MAAP #182, MAAP #151). In the most recent report, we informed that this mining impact had […]| MAAP
As deforestation continues to threaten primary forest across the Amazon, key land use designations are one of the best hopes for the long-term conservation of critical remaining intact forests. Here, we evaluate the impact of two of the most important: protected areas & indigenous territories. Our study looked across all nine countries of the Amazon biome, a vast […]| MAAP
