In late 2024, Mongabay Latam published the groundbreaking bilingual data-driven investigation, Amazon Airstrips. Originally published in Spanish, this collaboration between Mongabay and Earth Genome with support from the Pulitzer Center detected 67 clandestine airstrips used for drug transport in the Peruvian regions of Ucayali, Huánuco and Pasco.
The analysis used artificial intelligence (AI) to visually search through satellite information and cross-reference the results with official sources and field reports. Most of these illegal airstrips are located in and around Indigenous communities, reserves for people living in voluntary isolation and forest concessions. Thirty-one runways were found to be concentrated in the province of Atalaya, which has become one of the most violent in the Peruvian Amazon.
The special report was the result of a year-long investigation that combined satellite analysis, AI modeling, drone footage, and over 60 interviews with local and official sources. Conducted under challenging conditions, this reporting was rooted in long-term relationship-building with Indigenous communities. As Mongabay Latam Program Director María Isabel Torres later noted during a presentation at San Francisco climate week, the goal was not only to expose harm, but also to amplify the voices of Indigenous peoples as defenders and leaders actively protecting the rainforest.
These findings revealed the growing overlap between drug trafficking infrastructure and Indigenous territories, prompting statements from politicians and coverage by national media outlets, as well as actions taken by Indigenous organizations and interest from government institutions in learning about the methodology used.
