As gold prices continue to skyrocket and shatter historical records, small-scale, but widespread, gold mining activity also continues to be one of the major deforestation drivers across the Amazon. In collaboration with its network of partners in the region, MAAP has produced many reports documenting the expansion of gold mining across the Amazon over the years, highlighting often […]
In a series of previous reports, and in collaboration with SOS Orinoco, we have tracked the illegal gold mining deforestation and related impacts in Yapacana National Park, located in the Venezuelan Amazon. Critically, some of this illegal mining activity has been happening on top of the Yapacana tepui (see red circles in Intro Image). Tepuis are […]
Gold mining continues to increase in the Peruvian Amazon. Following the initial success of the major multisectoral government intervention Operation Mercury in southern Peru in early 2019 (MAAP #104, MAAP #121, MAAP #130), the illegal mining activity rebounded during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the government withdrew from the area (Vadillo, 2022). The current increase, directly linked […]
This is the second in a series of reports detailing the expansion of gold mining in the Ecuadorian Amazon. In the first report (MAAP #227), we analyzed mining expansion in the northern sector, around the Cofán Bermejo Ecological Reserve, near the Colombian border. In this current report, we focus on mining deforestation in the central […]
Illegal gold mining poses a challenge to environmental sustainability, governance, and security for all nine countries of the Amazon. The high price of gold on the international market has fueled the growth of this activity, combined with other factors such as the scarcity of economic alternatives, the presence of illicit groups, corruption, and a lack […]
In a recent report (MAAP #226), we presented data from Amazon Mining Watch (AMW), a collaboration between Amazon Conservation, Earth Genome, and the Pulitzer Center. This public resource uses AI (artificial intelligence) to detect gold mining deforestation across the Amazon, starting in 2018. The Base Map illustrates the current data, highlighting the most recent mining […]
As gold prices continue to increase, small-scale gold mining activity also continues to be one of the major deforestation drivers across the Amazon. It often targets remote areas, thus impacting carbon-rich primary forests. Moreover, in many cases, we presume that this mining is illegal based on its location within conservation areas (such as protected areas and […]
In a series of previous reports, we warned about the emergence and expansion of mining deforestation in the Ecuadorian Amazon (MAAP #151, MAAP 182, MAAP #219). Illegal mining in Ecuador tends to operate in remote areas, such as protected areas. Furthermore, this activity’s proximity to Colombia and Peru facilitates cross-border flows essential for the gold trade. […]
In a series of previous reports, we warned about the emergence and expansion of illegal mining deforestation in the heart of the Ecuadorian Amazon, in the area surrounding the Punino River, located between the provinces of Napo and Orellana (MAAP #182, MAAP #151). In the most recent report, we informed that this mining impact had […]
Amazon Conservation’s MAAP program specializes in reporting on the most urgent deforestation threats facing the Amazon and producing big-picture analyses of key Amazon-wide issues. This report uniquely presents a view into the complicated but critical issue of murders of environmental defenders, […]
