20 for 20: Photographing the First Recorded Melanistic Jaguar in Bolivia With Camera Traps

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20 for 20: Photographing the First Recorded Melanistic Jaguar in Bolivia With Camera Traps

Posted on by Ana Folhadella

Melanistic jaguar as part of 20 for 20 Years of Conservation Wins by Amazon ConservationOur camera trap program has been implemented in our areas of work in Bolivia since 2015. We have camera traps placed in:

  • TCO Tacana II, an indigenous territory we’ve worked with for decades in the North of the Department of La Paz,
  • Santa Rosa del Abuná Integral Model Area, a conservation area we helped create in the department of Pando,
  • Manuripi National Wildlife Reserve National Protected Area, an area for conservation we’ve been supporting also in the Department of Pando.

These places have successfully managed to register a wide variety of wild species, and have even photographed a very unique melanistic jaguar (Panthera onca). This is a color morph which occurs at about 6% frequency in jaguar populations, giving it an almost “black” look that is a stark contrast to the species normal orange/ brown complexion. This is the first time this type of jaguar has ever been recorded in the entire country of Bolivia.

Additionally, our camera traps have recorded evidence of animals which had previously been declared as no longer living in the area, as well as ones that have been categorized as endangered, near-threatened, or vulnerable by the internationally-recognized IUCN Red List of threatened species, including endangered giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis), near-threatened jaguar (Pantera onca), bush dog (Speothos venaticus), and harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja), as well as the vulnerable white-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari) and South American tapir (Tapirus terrestris).

This story is part of a series commemorating our 20th anniversary protecting the Amazon. We’re celebrating this milestone with a look back at our 20 biggest conservation wins over the past 20 years. Click here to support camera trap conservation programs in the Amazon.

20 for 20: Deforestation Decreases 92% After Years of Work Leads to Operation Mercury

Posted on by Ana Folhadella

Operation Mercury Before and After Illegal Gold Mining Intervention as part of 20 for 20 Years of Conservation Wins by Amazon ConservationFor decades, the southern region of Madre de Dios had been plagued by unmanaged and illegal gold mining that converted once thriving habitats into wastelands, and contaminated lands and rivers with mercury. This became so severe that the Peruvian government declared a state of emergency, and subsequently launched Operation Mercury, a series of highly-coordinated military interventions that apprehended illegal gold miners and destroyed the mining camps that not only destroy thousands of acres of forests, but were the breeding ground for human trafficking, child labor, sex slavery, and hired hit men.

The result was immediate: a 92% decrease in deforestation caused by illegal gold mining in the region. This intervention was a culmination of years of work.

For the past five years, our deforestation satellite monitoring program has given the Peruvian government real-time reports on illegal deforestation. We applied our satellite monitoring expertise to build the government’s capacity in understanding and using this high-tech information within the judicial system, by training judges, prosecutors, and government officials, as well as creating specialized offices to conduct their own satellite monitoring. Since often the complexity and bureaucracy inherent in governments makes it difficult for agencies to step out of their own silos to effectively work together on fighting complex environmental crimes, we also worked to establish the formal intra-governmental relationships necessary for action to take place. Now the government has a working system – called the National System for Control and Monitoring – that uses high-tech information and is able to coordinate large-scale interventions like Operation Mercury.

This is part of a series commemorating our 20th anniversary protecting the Amazon. We’re celebrating this milestone with a look back at our 20 biggest conservation wins over the past 20 years. Click here to support more capacity-building conservation programs in the Amazon.

20 for 20: Constructing Drying Sheds for the Tacana in Bolivia and other Brazil nut successes

Posted on by Ana Folhadella

Brazil Nuts as part of 20 for 20 Years of Conservation Wins by Amazon ConservationAs part of our 20th anniversary protecting the Amazon, we’re closing out this year by celebrating this milestone with a look back at our biggest conservation wins. Today we’re commemorating the milestones of our sustainable Brazil but forest management program in Bolivia.

Since 2003, we’ve been working with the Tacana indigenous community in the Bolivian Amazon. The Tacana community harvests Brazil nuts as a primary source of income every year, however, their territory is so extensive that some nuts, collected from the most distant trees, must be stored for weeks or months at a time before they are sold to processors along the river. Poor storage and drying conditions can lead to mold and contamination and in years past, the Tacana would lose approximately 15% of the harvest to spoilage every year, representing a loss of about $130,000 in annual revenue.

Payole Brazil Nut Drying ShedIn 2013, Amazon Conservation and other conservation partners helped the Tacana construct 72 payoles, or Brazil nut drying sheds, to store their harvest while waiting for river transport. These simple drying and storage buildings provide an alternative to storing nuts on the ground and keep spoilage to a minimum. But there’s even better news: by sharing tools and working together to build each payol, the Tacana were able to construct more than originally planned in less time than expected, and built 56 more payoles the next year so that every Brazil nut harvester has access to a drying shed. 

Lorenzo Bascope Mamío is one of those Brazil nut harvesters, and says that part of being Tacana is the tradition of Brazil nut harvesting. “It fills me with pride to be Tacana and coexist with the forest,” he says. Caring for these trees conserves these areas, as Brazil nuts only grow in wild, healthy ecosystems and cannot survive in a monoculture.

Since then, supporting sustainable livelihoods such as Brazil nut and acai harvesting has been a cornerstone of our work. This past year we were able to successfully develop a computer-based tool that identifies Brazil nut trees using high-resolution satellite imagery and drones in pilot areas covering 300,000 hectares. Additionally, Amazon Conservation’s sister organization Conservación Amazónica – ACCA, with support from Google.org, just finished up a two-year initiative that trained 75 Brazil nut harvesters and their families in satellite and field technologies to combat deforestation in the southern Peruvian Amazon, now protecting over 150,000 acres of lowland forests.

Click here to support forest-friendly conservation programs in the Amazon.

 

20 for 20: Los Amigos Biological Station and Conservation Concession

Posted on by Ana Folhadella

Los Amigos Conservation Concession Sign, part of the 20 for 20 Conservation Wins Series by Amazon ConservationBecause 2020 marks our 20th anniversary protecting the Amazon, we’re closing out this year by celebrating this milestone with a look back at our biggest conservation wins. To kick off the countdown, we’re commemorating the establishment of our Los Amigos Biological Station and Conservation Concession, located in Madre de Dios, Peru.

When we established the Los Amigos Conservation Concession in 2001, it was the first private conservation concession in the world. Located in the Los Amigos watershed in the department of Madre de Dios in southwestern Peru, the 360,000-acre concession borders the world-famous Manu National Park, and is a mosaic of terrestrial and aquatic habitats, including old-growth Amazonian forest, palm swamps, and bamboo thickets. Wildlife is abundant, including 12 globally threatened species, 11 primate species, and over 550 bird species.

What is a conservation concession? In Peru, as in other countries in Latin America, a substantial portion of land is publicly owned. Conservation concessions entrust long-term protection of publicly owned land to non-profit institutions or other entities in exchange for investments in conservation and sustainable development. This allows private organizations such as ACA to assist the Peruvian government in achieving national biodiversity conservation goals.

Los Amigos Biological Station, part of the 20 for 20 Conservation Wins Series by Amazon ConservationAdjacent to the concession is our Los Amigos Biological Station, established in 2000, which was built on the conviction that the greatest forest on earth deserves the best research centers in the world. The 1,119-acre station is situated in the lowland Amazonian forest at the base of Peru’s southern Andes, at the tip of a peninsula on a high terrace between the Madre de Dios and Los Amigos rivers.

Since its establishment, researchers have conducted studies at the station addressing botany, conservation biology, geology, hydrology, and zoology, among others. Additionally, many field courses have been held at the station with students from Peru and around the world. Los Amigos is also a training site for young Amazonian scientists, offering opportunities for area students to visit the station for a hands-on learning experience in tropical ecology and environmental issues.

Efforts to build bricks-and-mortar institutions for the long haul were historically rare in Amazonia. Los Amigos became a model protected area, model research station, model training center, and model partnership rolled into one and since then there have been various other institutions replicating their own versions of this model throughout the Amazon.

Click here to help keep Los Amigos protected and support the establishment of other protected areas in the Amazon.

Mail Delivery Issue for Amazon Conservation’s DC Office Address *12/10 UPDATE: Issue is Resolved*

Posted on by Ana Folhadella

**UPDATE AS OF DECEMBER 10, 2020**

The USPS has fixed this error and our office is once again able to send and receive mail as usual.

If your mail to us was returned, we kindly ask that you please re-send it to our regular office address at 1012 14th Street NW, Suite 625, Washington, DC, 20005. We apologize for this inconvenience. If you’d like to send us any registered mail or mail that needs a signature or in-person receipt, please contact Ana Folhadella, Communications and Development Manager, using the contact information below to get a staff member’s direct mailing address.

Direct Email: afolhadella@amazonconservation.org
Office Number: (202) 234-2356
Personal Cellphone: (202) 930-1421

As the global pandemic continues, please note that our DC staff is following local recommendations and working from home, so there may be some delay in acknowledging receipt and processing your mail to us. The processing of check contributions and sending of acknowledgment letters with tax-deduction may be slightly delayed, however, all check contributions postmarked in 2020 received up until January 10th, 2021 will be honored as donations for the year 2020 for income tax purposes. If you have any questions about your donation or would like your tax documentation emailed to you, please feel free to contact our Communications and Development Manager using the direct information above or at info@amazonconservation.org.

Thank you for your patience, understanding, and support!

 

 

IMPORTANT NOTICE (December 4):

Dear supporters and friends of the Amazon,

We recently discovered an issue with Amazon Conservation’s USPS account that is affecting mail to and from our DC office.

If you have mailed us a donation, letter, or any materials via any postal carrier to our office address at 1012 14th Street NW, Suite 625, Washington, DC, 20005, any time between October 1 2020 and now, your mail may have been affected. This means we likely did not receive your mail and that USPS will be returning it to you, the sender. Some donors have reported that they received their envelopes back with a yellow notice saying that mail is “undeliverable to this address” or “unable to forward.” Please note that the address above is correct and will continue to be our mailing address for the foreseeable future – this message is an error on USPS’ system that we are trying to correct.

To make sure your mail and contributions get to us in a timely manner, please contact us‬ using the information below to get a secondary mailing address while we fix this issue. We can also process donations online on your behalf for your convenience. Unfortunately, USPS is unable to tell us if a specific piece of mail has been affected without a tracking number.

The USPS error also affected some of our outgoing mail sent between October 1 and November 30. If you were expecting something in the mail from us (such as a donation acknowledgment letter with a tax receipt for a recent contribution) and have not received it, please contact us using the information below. To be safe and ensure that our donors receive their tax-deduction materials promptly, we will be re-issuing all donation receipt letters that had been sent in the past 4 months (September – November 2020).

If you made a donation electronically via our website, Charity Navigator, an employee giving program, or any other online platform, your donations have not been affected and were processed as usual. You should have received an automatic receipt with the needed tax-deductible information to the email account you used when making the contribution. If you have questions about your online donations, please reach us at donations[at]amazonconservation[dot]org. We are not affiliated with Amazon.com, Inc.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work with the USPS to fix this issue. This post will be updated as new information is made available.

Please direct any questions, comments, or concerns about Amazon Conservation’s mail to:
Ana Folhadella, Communications and Development Manager
Direct Email: afolhadella@amazonconservation.org
Office Number: (202) 234-2356
Personal Cellphone: (202) 930-1421

MAAP #130: Illegal Gold Mining Down 78% In Peruvian Amazon, But Still Threatens Key Areas

Posted on by Ana Folhadella

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 crackdown on the rampant illegal gold mining in the region.The Operation initially targeted an area known as La Pampa, the epicenter of the illegal mining. In 2020, it expanded to surrounding critical areas.

Image 1. Very high resolution image of recent gold mining deforestation along the Pariamanu River. Data: Planet (Skysat).
Image 1. Very high resolution image of recent gold mining deforestation along the Pariamanu River. Data: Planet (Skysat).

In this report, we compare rates of gold mining deforestation before vs after Operation Mercury at six key sites (see Base Map and Methodology below).

We report four major results:

1) Gold mining deforestation decreased 90% in La Pampa (the most critical mining area) following Operation Mercury.

2) Gold mining deforestation increased in three key areas –Apaylon, Pariamanu, and Chaspa – indicating that some miners expelled from La Pampa moved to surrounding areas. The Peruvian government, however, has recently carried out major interventions in all three of these areas.

3) Overall, gold mining deforestation decreased 78% across all six sites following Operation Mercury.

4) Illegal mining does persist, however. We documented 1,115 hectares of gold mining deforestation across all six sites since Operation Mercury (but, compared to 6,490 hectares before the Operation).

Below, we provide a more detailed breakdown of the major results across all six sites. We also present a series of very high resolution satellite images (Skysat) of the recent gold mining deforestation.

 

 

Base Map – 6 Major Illegal Gold Mining Sites

The Base Map illustrates the results across the six major gold mining fronts in the southern Peruvian Amazon. Red indicates gold mining deforestation post Operation Mercury (March 2019 – October 2020), while yellow indicates the pre Operation baseline (January 2017 – February 2019).

Base Map. Major gold mining fronts in the southern Peruvian Amazon before (yellow) and after (red) Operation Mercury. Data: MAAP.
Base Map. Major gold mining fronts in the southern Peruvian Amazon before (yellow) and after (red) Operation Mercury. Data: MAAP.

In La Pampa, we documented the dramatic loss of 4,450 hectares within the buffer zone of Tambopata National Reserve (Madre de Dios region) prior to Operation Mercury. Following the Operation, we confirmed the loss of 300 hectares. Note the main mining front in the core of the buffer zone has essentially been stopped, with most recent activity further north near the Interoceanic Highway.

In neighboring Alto Malinowski, located in the buffer zone of Bahuaja Sonene National Park (Madre de Dios region), we documented the loss of 1,558 hectares prior to Operation Mercury. Following the Operation, we confirmed the loss of 419 hectares.

In Camanti, located in the buffer zone of Amarakaeri Commuanl Reserve, we documented the loss of 336 hectares prior to Operation Mercury. Following the Operation, we confirmed the loss of 105 hectares.

In Pariamanu, located in the primary forests along the Pariamanu River (Madre de Dios region), we documented the loss of 72 hectares prior to Operation Mercury. Following the Operation, we confirmed the loss of 98 hectares. In response, the government conducted a major intervention in August 2020.

In Apaylon, located in the buffer zone Tambopata National Reserve (Madre de Dios region), we documented the loss of 73 hectares prior to Operation Mercury. Following the Operation, we confirmed the loss of 78 hectares. In response, the government has conducted a series of interventions in the area during 2020.

Chaspa, located in the buffer zone of Bahuaja Sonene National Park (Puno region), represents a unique case of a new gold mining front that appeared following Operation Mercury. Starting in September 2019, we documented the deforestation of 113 hectares impacting the Chaspa River watershed. In response, the government conducted a major intervention in October 2020.

 

 

Gold Mining Deforestation Trends

The following chart illustrates that gold mining deforestation fronts decreased following Operation Mercury in the three largest fronts (La Pampa, Alto Malinowski, and Camanti), and increased in three smaller areas (Pariamanu, Apaylon, and Chaspa). Thus, overall gold mining deforestation decreased 78% across all six major sites following Operation Mercury.

Table 1. Rates of gold mining deforestation before (orange) and after (red) Operation Mercury. Data: MAAP.
Table 1. Rates of gold mining deforestation before (orange) and after (red) Operation Mercury. Data: MAAP.

 

In La Pampa, the gold mining deforestation averaged 165 hectares per month prior to Operation Mercury. Following the Operation, the deforestation dropped to 17 hectares per month, an overall 90% decrease.

In Alto Malinowski, the gold mining deforestation dropped from 58 hectares per month to 23 hectares per month following Operation Mercury, an overall 60% decrease.

In Camanti, the gold mining deforestation dropped from 12.5 hectares per month to 6 hectares per month following Operation Mercury, an overall 54% decrease.

In Pariamanu, the gold mining deforestation increased from 2.8 hectares per month to 5 hectares per month following Operation Mercury, an overall 87% increase.

In Apaylon, the gold mining deforestation increased from 2.8 hectares per month to 4 hectares per month following Operation Mercury, an overall 43% increase.

Chaspa, located in the buffer zone of Bahuaja Sonene National Park, represents the unique case of a new gold mining front that appeared following Operation Mercury (8.5 hectares per month).

 

 

Very High Resolution Satellite Imagery (Skysat)

We recently tasked very high resolution satellite imagery (Skysat, 0.5 meter) for the major illegal gold mining areas. Below, we present a series showing some of the highlights from these images. Note that insets (in the upper corner of each image) show the same area before the mining activity (see red points as a reference).

Pariamanu

The following two images show the expansion of new gold mining areas into the primary rainforests near the Pariamanu River (Madre de Dios region).

Image 2. Expansion of new gold mining areas into the primary rainforests near the Pariamanu River (Madre de Dios region). Data: Planet.
Image 2. Expansion of new gold mining areas into the primary rainforests near the Pariamanu River (Madre de Dios region). Data: Planet.

 

Image 3. Expansion of new gold mining areas into the primary rainforests near the Pariamanu River (Madre de Dios region). Data: Planet.
Image 3. Expansion of new gold mining areas into the primary rainforests near the Pariamanu River (Madre de Dios region). Data: Planet.

La Pampa

The following image shows the expansion of a new gold mining area in the northern part of La Pampa.

Image 4. Expansion of a new mining area in the northern part of La Pampa (Madre de Dios region). Data: Planet, Maxar.
Image 4. Expansion of a new mining area in the northern part of La Pampa (Madre de Dios region). Data: Planet, Maxar.

 

 

Chaspa

The following image shows the sudden appearance of a new gold mining front along the Chaspa River (Puno region).

Image 5. New gold mining front along the Chaspa River (Puno region). Data: Planet (Skysat).
Image 5. New gold mining front along the Chaspa River (Puno region). Data: Planet (Skysat).

 

Camanti

The following image shows the recent expansion of gold mining deforestation in the buffer zone of Amarakaeri Communal Reserve (Cusco region).

Image 6. Recent expansion of gold mining deforestation in the buffer zone of Amarakaeri Communal Reserve (Cusco region). Data: Planet (Skysat).
Image 6. Recent expansion of gold mining deforestation in the buffer zone of Amarakaeri Communal Reserve (Cusco region). Data: Planet (Skysat).

 

Methodology

We analyzed high-resolution imagery (3 meters) from the satellite company Planet obtained from their interface Planet Explorer. Based on this imagery, we digitized gold mining deforestation across six major sites: La Pampa, Alto Malinowski, Camanti, Pariamanu, Apaylon, and Chaspa. These were identified as the major active illegal gold mining deforestation fronts based on analysis of automated forest loss alerts generated by University of Maryland (GLAD alerts) and the Peruvian government (Geobosques) and additional land use layers. The area referred to as the “mining corridor” is not included in the analysis because the issue of legality is more complex.

Across these six sites, we identified, digitized, and analyzed all visible gold mining deforestation between January 2017 and the present (October 2020). We defined before Operation Mercury as data from January 2017 to February 2019, and after Operation Mercury as data from March 2019 to the present. Given that the former was 26 months and the latter 20 months, during the analysis the data was standardized as gold mining deforestation per month.

The data is updated through October 2020.

 

Acknowledgments

We thank A. Felix (DAI), S. Novoa (ACCA), and G. Palacios for their helpful comments on this report.

This report was conducted with technical assistance from USAID, via the Prevent project. Prevent is an initiative that is working with the Government of Peru, civil society, and the private sector to prevent and combat environmental crimes in Loreto, Ucayali and Madre de Dios, in order to conserve the Peruvian Amazon.

This publication is made possible with the support of the American people through USAID. Its content is the sole responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the US government.

USAID logo

Citation

Finer M, Mamani N (2020) Illegal Gold Mining Down 79% in Peruvian Amazon, But Still Threatens Key Areas. MAAP: 130.

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Giving Tuesday: A Different Way to Give

Posted on by Ana Folhadella

Sparkling Violetear photo by Trond Larsen taken at WayqechaEven in a year as unexpected and uncertain as 2020, our supporters have continued to show up when we’ve needed you most. So this Giving Tuesday we’re not asking for you to lend us hand with a financial contribution (although, of course, we always welcome donations to make conservation happen!), but we’re asking you to do one simple thing: SHARE!

Help us spread awareness about the Amazon Rainforest by sharing one post – any post – from our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn pages and tell your friends and family why it matters to you.

 

 

Here are some ideas, but feel free to choose something else and make it your own!

Support Conservation in the Amazon While Holiday Shopping

Posted on by Ana Folhadella
Photo of a Jabiru by Sean WilliamsDid you know that you can help save the Amazon while holiday shopping? Support our conservation work and get your holiday shopping finished in one fell swoop by shopping through AmazonSmile or the Good Deeds App.

AmazonSmile

The AmazonSmile Foundation recently surpassed $200 million in donations to charities worldwide. By shopping AmazonSmile you receive the same products, prices, and services, and Amazon will donate 0.5% of a product purchase price to Amazon Conservation. Shop Amazon and help save the forest that inspired its name at no cost to you by using this link: smile.amazon.com/ch/52-2211305.

Give back while you holiday shop on Good Deeds

The holidays are just around the corner, and we’ve partnered with Good Deeds, an impact-driven shopping app that makes it easy to shop deals, earn cash back, and then automatically give back all (or a portion) of those earnings directly to conservation programs in the Amazon. This app is available on both Apple and Android, and it only takes a few minutes to set up. See the video for a tutorial.

How It Works

  1. Shop your favorite brands and deals on the Good Deeds app
  2. Save by earning cash back on those purchases
  3. Give all (or some) of that cash back automatically to Amazon Conservation
  4. Together we can make a difference. Invite your friends and family to start fundraising together!

Next steps
Download the Good Deeds app and choose us as your nonprofit of choice — it only takes a few minutes to start shopping.

 

Protecting the “River in the Sky” With Help From the Cloud Appreciation Society

Posted on by Ana Folhadella

Cloud Appreciation Society LogoEveryone has a part to play in conserving nature, and our friends over at the Cloud Appreciation Society created an unique way for its members to get involved. If you haven’t heard of this niche group, their mission is to promote a greater understanding and appreciation of the sky and our atmosphere, and this year they have been supporting efforts to protect what is dubbed the “world’s largest river in the sky” – the Amazon Rainforest.

 

What’s the  “River in the Sky”?

Wayqecha Cloud Forest Station, Peru

If you observe the Amazon Rainforest from space and compare it to other parts of Earth, it appears to almost always be obscured by clouds. This is because of the massive amount of trees and forest, which are like “400 billion geysers shooting water into the sky”. Evaporation draws water from a trees’ roots to the tree top, and a large tree can release up to 1,000 liters of water per day. Given that figure, trees in the Amazon overall release about 20 billion tons of water which is what creates the “river in the sky”. Though the Amazon is home to the largest river system in the world, more water flows in the sky above the Amazon basin than within its extensive waterway system. 

Water released by trees condenses into clouds, lowering nearby air pressure. The decreased air pressure creates the winds that steer the “sky river” from the Atlantic to the Andes. Clouds in this unseen yet expansive deposit pour essential rain over vast areas of South America.

 

How the Cloud Appreciation Society is Helping Protect the River in the Sky

Since trees provide the ingredients for cloud formation, throughout this year the Cloud Appreciation Society has committed to supporting our drone monitoring training programs headed at the Southwest Amazon Drone Center. This center, launched in 2017, focuses on training local landowners, indigenous communities, students, and officials in Peru to actively monitor and report illegal deforestation in the western Amazon as well as providing drone overflights for the local government upon request.

The Southwest Amazon Drone Center allows for local community members to get training, certifications, and access to high-tech drones that can be used as remote sensing tools to monitor deforestation in tropical forests in a safe, fast, and scientific way. By providing these services, we empower people to protect their forests by giving them the tools needed increase legal responses to illegal activities. Presenting evidence, such as drone photos and videos of ACOMAT member flying a drone for monitoring. Source- ACCAunlawful deforestation or mining, can be used to prosecute offenders which then deters future illegal activities. Moreover, the use of drone technology is important due to the vastness and remoteness of the Amazon Rainforest — it is a challenge to patrol by foot and stop incidents of illegal deforestation. Face-to-face encounters with those conducting illegal deforestation for financial gain can also be extremely dangerous, and potentially deadly. With technology, Amazon Conservation is changing that. 

Cloud Appreciation Society supports our activities by donating 5% of all 2020 membership revenues to the programs at the Southwest Drone Center. Their support enables us to train hundreds of local people to use this technology to fight in the front lines to protect the Amazon Rainforest, one of the last wild places left on Earth. Visit their website here.

 

 

AmazonTEC 2020: Science and Technology for a Sustainable Amazon

Posted on by Ana Folhadella

AmazonTEC is a premier forum for discussing science and technology’s connection to policy and governance in the Amazon. Developed by Amazon Conservation’s Peruvian sister organization Conservación Amazónica – ACCA, AmazonTEC brought together forest users, technology experts, NGOs, governments, and other stakeholders in a forum to discuss the use of cutting-edge technology (satellites, mobile apps, drones, and more) in the advancement of public policy for environmental protection in the Amazon.

In this 2020 edition, the event was virtual, with five interactive webinars. With support from Norad, Amazon Conservation hosted its first-ever English-language session as part of AmazonTEC. 

See the Agenda 

 

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