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 […]
In the recent MAAP #203, we reported that the government of Suriname is preparing to clear large tracts of Amazon rainforest for agriculture. Specifically, we estimated that a shocking 451,000 hectares (1.1 million acres) of primary forest were threatened in the proposed agricultural plots. Intertwined with this issue are additional reports indicating that groups of Mennonites are in […]
In a recent article, the environmental science news platform Mongabay reported that, according to their review of official documents, the government of Suriname is preparing to clear large tracts of Amazon rainforest for agriculture. Mongabay reported that a massive amount of land (365,704 hectares, or 903,674 acres) was being targeted for new agriculture plots being established for […]
In a series of reports, we have documented the recent massive deforestation by Mennonite colonies in the Peruvian Amazon (see MAAP #188). Here, we present additional evidence that Mennonites are currently clearing primary Amazon forests: very high-resolution satellite imagery (0.5 meters from Planet’s Skysat fleet). Specifically, we compare a series of very high-resolution satellite images tasked over the same area on different […]
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 […]
We continue with the second part in our series on soy deforestation in the Bolivian Amazon. In the first part, see MAAP #179, we documented the massive soy-driven deforestation of 904,518 hectares (2.2 million acres) between 2001 and 2021 in the Bolivian Amazon. During this time period, a large number of farming-based Mennonite colonies have […]
It is generally known that commodities such as oil palm, soy, and cattle are major tropical deforestation drivers, but concise estimates are often difficult. New satellite-based datasets are improving this situation. Notably, researchers recently published the first overview of soybean plantations for South America.1 Here, we use this data to estimate recent soy-driven deforestation in […]
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 […]
In a series of previous reports, we have documented the extensive recent deforestation from new Mennonite colonies arriving in the Peruvian Amazon (see MAAP #149). However, despite the extensive evidence provided by satellite images, the Mennonites have repeatedly denied this deforestation (see References). Most recently, we detected that the Mennonites had resumed deforestation in the […]
We present a first look at the major 2021 Amazon deforestation hotspots.* The Amazon Base Map illustrates several key findings:p We estimate the loss of over 1.9 million hectares (4.8 million acres) of primary forest loss across the nine countries of the Amazon biome in 2021. k This matches the previous two years, bringing the total […]
