Satellite data and imagery confirm ongoing deforestation in the Peruvian Amazon around colonies of Mennonites, a group of highly conservative Christian communities.
Mennonites, whose early history can be traced to Europe in the 16th century, are known for their large-scale industrialized agriculture. By the late 19th century, they migrated to Canada, from where they have been fanning out to various parts of Latin America in search of land for new agricultural settlements, or “colonies.”
Mennonite colonies first began appearing in Peru’s rainforests around 2017, and deforestation due to their activities has spiked from zero in 2017 to more than 8,660 hectares (21,400 acres) in 2024, according to the latest update by the U.S.-based nonprofit Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Project (MAAP).
“It is clear the Mennonites will continue growing population and expanding deforestation if the government does not implement more effective strategies,” Matt Finer, senior research specialist and director of MAAP, told Mongabay by email.
MAAP’s analysis, published in October, examined all five Mennonite colonies in Peru — Chipiar, Vanderland, Osterreich, Providencia and Masisea — and found that deforestation around all of them were continuing as of September 2024.
Deforestation around the newest Chipiar colony, for instance, has reached 2,708 hectares (6,692 acres) since 2020, MAAP’s analysis found. Visualizing Chipiar colony on the Global Forest Watch (GFW) platform shows considerable deforestation and fire alerts as recently as October.
Data and imagery from GFW also show a dramatic burst of continued forest loss around the Masisea colony in October.
Finer said that while MAAP’s analysis focuses on actual deforestation, a lot of what’s seen in the October GFW images appear to indicate burning as a result of fires meant for clearing forested areas escaping into surrounding areas.
“I don’t have more information other than in the imagery it appears to be escaped fire damage, I don’t know who started the fire,” Finer said. “And yes that is different than actual deforestation.” Mongabay couldn’t immediately confirm the reasons behind the latest clearings.
Previous Mongabay investigations have found that much of the land grab by the Mennonites in Peru’s forests is likely illegal. Some of their settlements also overlap with the territories of Indigenous communities, and the colonies are being investigated by the country’s authorities.
“We delivered a pair of confidential reports to the Peruvian government in early October alerting them to the continuing deforestation in Chipiar and also Vanderland,” Finer said.
Banner image of clearing around the Chipiar Mennonite colony in Peru, courtesy of Global Forest Watch.
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