PERU, Madre de Dios, September 16, 2024 — Paul Rosolie, speaking on behalf of Junglekeepers, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the Peruvian Amazon, announced today that fires across the Amazon have reached alarming new heights, with fire activity hitting a 14-year record, according to Reuters. But beyond the numbers, Junglekeepers is witnessing the crisis firsthand in ways no news outlet can fully capture.
The organization’s team, stationed deep in the rainforest, reports an unprecedented amount of smoke filling the skies. For weeks now, even their pristine reserve, once untouched by deforestation or fire, has been enveloped in haze. The usually vibrant jungle canopy is now cast in a muted light as the sun, obscured by layers of smoke, appears as a blood-red orb throughout the day.
Junglekeepers currently protects over 90,000 acres of crucial rainforest in the Peruvian Amazon, but the fires are raging all around them. “The land Junglekeepers is protecting is safe and healthy, but everything around us is burning,” says Juan Julio Durand, Co-Founder and local Ese-Eja expert. “We are losing ancient at alarming rates, irreplaceable ecosystems at an alarming rate, and we need immediate action.”
This year’s fires are not just a repeat of past disasters; they are part of a growing trend that is pushing the Amazon closer to a tipping point. Unlike natural wildfires, these are largely man-made, driven by illegal deforestation and land clearing for agriculture. The haze now seen from Junglekeepers’ reserve is a direct result of these activities. Even protected areas, once thought to be safe from such devastation, are now feeling the strain of rising fire activity.
This press release isn’t just a report on the numbers—it’s a warning from those of us in the field. The Amazon is sending out an SOS. We have a way to save it, but the time to act is now.
About Junglekeepers
Junglekeepers is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to protecting the Amazon Rainforest through indigenous-led conservation efforts. Junglekeepers works to safeguard biodiversity, combat deforestation, and empower local communities in their fight to save one of the planet’s most critical ecosystems.
