The documentary series “Now What” with Ryan Duffy, features the work of Max Messinger (BS 2013, MS 2015) and Professor Miles Silman in the Amazon. The piece follows Messinger’s work with drones in monitoring illicit gold mining in the Amazon and the scale of negative environmental impact these illegal activities have had. Messinger and Silman have worked closely with Carlos Castenada and his team to enhance the Peruvian government’s efforts in
Max Messinger (WFU ’13, ’15) discusses data returned from drones with Ryan Duffy (left) and Casteneda.
monitoring and enforcement in the Madre de Dios region of the Amazon.
WFU graduate student Max Messinger and professor Miles Silman show their aircraft used for monitoring the forest canopy
“Previously, the conservation effort could only monitor 30% of the region, but with the introduction of Max’s drones, they can monitor 95% of region.”, Ryan Duffy.
Story byline:
There is a heated fight against global warming in the Amazon Rain Forest, where illegal gold mining and logging is causing massive deforestation. Now, an unassuming inventor from North Carolina has teamed up with local conservationists in Peru to deploy a brand new weapon in the fight to save precious land. | Executive Producers Ryan Duffy & Austin Reza | DP & Producer Harris Done | Story Producer Alexandra Stergiou | Edited by Brent Wiggins |
NOW WHAT with Ryan Duffy S1:E1 | Eyes of the Amazon: http://huff.to/1Qy8mJC
Click here to visit the series
Find more like this: alumni, ecology, Faculty, Miles Silman, Research