That’s the sound of 106 deforestation alerts. 
And that in the background? 
Chainsaws. 

Sounds carry vast distances in the jungle, so it’s not uncommon for impacter Tatiana to hear the sound of illegal logging when she’s patrolling the ARBIO forest. Read the full interview here.

Forestry engineer and ranger Tatiana Espinosa:

• CEO and co-founder of ARBIO Peru.

• Has been protecting the ARBIO forest, consisting of 916 hectares, for 11 years.

• The oldest tree in the forest is 1320 years old.

Protecting "mother trees"

One of the most illegally logged trees, is arguably one of the most ecologically important ones, the shihuahuaco. These ancient “mother trees” are some of the tallest trees in the Amazon, making them homes to many species, as well as crucial to the structural integrity of the forest ecosystem. Losing a shihuahuaco tree is like losing your local water tower. 

Tatiana and her team are constantly working to protect the ARBIO forest:

• She maintains a permanent presence of rangers to protect trees from illegal logging.

• She has created a database with documentation of large Amazonian trees to be able to monitor the status of the forest.

• So far, none of the trees in her forest has been taken by illegal loggers.

Still, the threats to the forest and the people protecting it are real, and recently illegal logging has gone from bad to worse. Since the pandemic, tragically, four environmental defenders in Peru have been killed. One of them was the son of the man who protects a forest near Tatiana’s. 

What you can do to help:

• Spread the word, the more people know about Tatiana and her story, the safer she will be.

• Become a supporter of Tatiana's work. Small sums make a big difference for Tatiana and her team. 

• Follow Tatiana and her organization for more updates from the field. 

Have a spooky Halloween,
Milkywire Team, 
Tatiana & other impacters in the field