How did a religious group take over part of the Amazon? | Chasing Deforestation

Host Romi Castagnino travels to the central Peruvian Amazon Rainforest, where a deeply conservative religious group, known as Mennonites, has been illegally deforesting land and encroaching upon Indigenous territories to expand their agricultural fields.

Satellite data show that Mennonite colonies are now the leading cause of large-scale deforestation in the Peruvian Amazon. Romi talks with leaders and members of two Indigenous communities affected by the Mennonite-led deforestation and also visits the Mennonite colony of Masisea, the one responsible for the illegal clearing.

Read the full story: https://news.mongabay.com/2022/12/men...

Chasing Deforestation is a series that explores the world’s most threatened forests through satellite data and reporters on the ground.

#deforestation #Mennonites #Peru #amazonrainforest #indigenousrights

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