Mining and Logging Threat: Minería de Oro

​MAAP #230: Mining in the Ecuadorian Amazon, Central Sector – Napo Province

Posted on by Matt Finer
Base Map 1. Mining deforestation in Ecuador. Data: Amazon Mining Watch (AMW), RAISG

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 sector, specifically in the Napo province, part of one of Ecuador’s main water systems.

Base Map 1 indicates these two areas in relation to the most recent mining detection data from Amazon Mining Watch (AMW), highlighting the most recent mining deforestation (2019-2024) in red.

Note that within and surrounding the current report focal area (purple circle), there are several Indigenous territories and two key protected areas (Sumaco Napo Galeras National Park and Colonso Chalupas Biological Reserve).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mining in the Napo province

Napo, one of Ecuador’s six Amazonian provinces, is home to valuable Andean-Amazonian watersheds rich in ecosystem services, making it a priority area for biodiversity conservation and sustainable natural resource management. However, its main rivers are threatened by gold mining, the social and ecological consequences of which are profoundly negative.

In a previous report, MAAP #151, we warned about the rapid expansion of gold mining in the Yutzupino sector, on the banks of the Jatunyacu River. This sector has been the target of various control operations, such as the three so-called Manatí operations, and a technical report on the oversight and monitoring of illegal mining presented to Ecuador’s National Assembly in 2022.

In subsequent reports (MAAP #162 and MAAP #184), the area of analysis of mining deforestation in the Napo province was expanded to include the Jatunyacu, Anzu, and Huambuno Rivers.

This current update presents more recent data (2024), incorporating four key case studies: the Jatunyacu, Anzu, Huambuno, and Puni-Cotona-Arajuno Rivers (see Base Map 2).

Gold mining not only poses environmental hazards, such as forest destruction, water pollution, and ecosystem degradation (see Image 1), but also causes social conflicts and disputes with local communities, who depend on the land and natural resources for their livelihoods and quality of life. The appreciation of gold in the international market poses a challenge to the implementation of sustainable economic alternatives such as ecotourism. However, the ecological and cultural importance of these aquatic ecosystems has generated sound conservation proposals, as detailed in MAAP #202.

Image 1. Left: River in Napo province with no impact from mining activities; Right: Impact of mining activities on riparian forests in Napo province. Source: EcoCiencia (2025)

 

 

Dynamics of gold mining deforestation

Below is Chart 1, with biannual data analyzing the growth of the mining area in Napo province from 2007 to 2023. During this period, the total area linked to mining exceeded 1,300 hectares.

The analysis reveals a trend of sustained increase in mining activity over time, with a particularly notable increase starting in 2017.

Chart 1. Dynamics of mining activity in the Napo province from 2007 to 2023. Data: MapBiomas Ecuador – EcoCiencia

 

Case studies

We chose four key case studies to analyze the dynamics of the expansion of mining areas within the Napo province during the period 2017-2024 (see Base Map 2).

Base map 2. Satellite monitoring area in Napo. Data: Amazon Conservation/MAAP; EcoCiencia; Planet

Cas3 1: ​Jatunyacu​  River

Case 1. Data: Amazon Conservation/MAAP; EcoCiencia; Planet

This case extends along the banks of the Jatunyacu River from the town of El Cando in the west to its confluence with the Anzu River in the Yutzupino sector. It also includes the Yutsupino River, a tributary of the Jatunyacu River, and several sectors located on the outskirts of the urban boundary south of the city of Tena. This has an important connotation, as it shows that mining activities are not only taking place in remote areas, but are also advancing into highly populated areas.

Between January 2017 and December 2022, 126 hectares were affected by mining. During 2023, the impacted area increased by 162 hectares, and in 2024 a further increase of 214 hectares was recorded. In total, from January 2017 to December 2024, the area affected by mining totals 502 hectares, approximately equivalent to 703 professional soccer fields.

Furthermore, we found that some mining activity has been carried out outside the areas authorized by the mining registry, that is, in areas that do not have the corresponding permits for such activity. These areas total 6.62 hectares, representing just 0.01% of the total identified, but are significant due to their unauthorized nature.

Most mining activities are located within concessions registered in the mining registry. However, few concessions have the additional permits required to carry out mining activities. Furthermore, some of these authorized concessions, although they have processed and received additional permits, have been suspended due to non-compliance with the environmental management plan and violations of the current environmental license.

Panel 1. Data: EcoCiencia; Superintendencia de Ordenamiento Territorial; Planet

In order to analyze the details of mining activities in this case study, two areas, indicated as A and B (see Case 1) were selected for further analysis.

In the case of area A, Panel 1 shows the expansion of mining activity between September 2022 (top left panel) and April 2025 (top right panel).

Furthermore, drone photographs from June 2025 reveal additional details, such as mining pits, the removal of vegetation cover, eroded soil, and other effects produced by mining activity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Panel 2. Data: EcoCiencia; Planet

For area B, panel 2 shows the opening of 4.43 km of new roads entering the Yutsupino River between 2022 and 2025, which has facilitated access for the opening of new mining fronts, avoiding a police checkpoint at the entrance to the Yutzupino sector in Puerto Napo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Case 2: ​Anzu​  

Case 2. Datos: Amazon Conservation/MAAP”; EcoCiencia, Planet

Case 2 extends over the Piocullín, Chumbiyacu, Shichuyacu, Ila, Yurasyacu, and Anzu rivers, where 329 hectares were impacted by mining during the period from January 2017 to December 2022.

An additional 63 hectares were impacted in 2023, and 243 hectates in 2024.

In total, 635 hectares in this area were impacted by mining, equivalent to 889 professional soccer fields.

Additionally, mining activity was identified outside the cadastre, corresponding to 94 hectares, representing 15% of the total identified.

 

 

 

Caso 3: Huambuno  

Caso 3. Datos: Amazon Conservation/MAAP; EcoCiencia; Planet

En este caso, realizamos un análisis hasta diciembre 2024, sobre la situación en las orillas del río Huambuno.

En el reporte MAAP #184 se documentó una expansión minera de 238 hectáreas afectadas por minería desde mayo 2017 a enero 2023.

En este nuevo análisis, se identificó un aumento de 124 hectáreas para el año 2023 (enero – diciembre 2023) y un incremento de 130 hectáreas para el año 2024 (enero – diciembre 2024).

Lo que suma un total de 492 hectáreas (equivalente a 689 canchas de fútbol) afectadas por minería desde mayo 2017 a diciembre 2024.  

Adicionalmente, se identificaron 115 hectáreas de actividad minera fuera del catastro, lo que representa el 23 % del total identificado.   

 

 

 

 

 

Caso 4: ​Puní-Cotona-Arajuno​  

Caso 4. Datos: Amazon Conservation/MAAP”; EcoCiencia, Planet

Se analiza para este caso, un sector con poca superposición del catastro minero, en donde las actividades mineras sin autorización crecieron aproximadamente un 2700% desde el primer periodo de monitoreo, entre 2017 y 2022, hasta el año 2024. 

Es así como, entre enero de 2017 y diciembre de 2022, se identificaron solo 4 hectáreas afectadas por actividades mineras en la zona.

En el año 2023 (enero-diciembre), la superficie intervenida aumentó en 26 hectáreas, y para 2024 (enero-diciembre), se registró un incremento adicional de 82 hectáreas.

En total, durante el período analizado, 112 hectáreas fueron impactadas por la actividad minera en el entorno del río Puní, Cotona y Arajuno, lo que equivale aproximadamente a 157 canchas de fútbol profesional. 

También, se evidenciaron 111 hectáreas de actividad minera fuera del catastro oficial, correspondiente al 99% del total identificado reflejando una fuerte presencia de minería no autorizada en este sector.  

 

 

 Implicaciones políticas  

La reciente deforestación por actividades mineras descrita anteriormente destaca necesidades políticas clave:  

Agradecimientos  

Agradecemos a Ecuadorian Rivers Institute por sus aportes en este informe. 

Este informe es parte de una serie enfocada en la Amazonía ecuatoriana a través de una colaboración estratégica entre las organizaciones Fundación EcoCiencia y Amazon Conservation, con el apoyo de la Fundación Gordon y Betty Moore.   

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MAAP #228: Illegal Gold Mining in the Puré and Cotuhé Rivers in the Colombian Amazon

Posted on by Matt Finer
Base Map. Illegal gold mining in the Puré & Cotuhé Rivers, Colombian Amazon. Data: ACA/MAAP, FCDS, RAISG

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 of effective government action.

In the Amazon, illegal mining has generated massive deforestation (MAAP #226), contamination of water sources due to the use of mercury, and expansion of illicit economies, with gold becoming a key source of financing for organized armed groups (Note 1).

In a series of reports, MAAP has detailed and illustrated cases of illegal mining in many parts of the Amazon, including Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, and Venezuela. These reports include both forest-based mining causing deforestation, and river-based mining causing mercury contamination.

In this report, we focus on river-based mining in the northwestern Amazon, specifically the triple border region between Colombia, Brazil, and Peru (see Base Map).In this area, illegal mining activities impact several rivers that connect these countries: the Puré, Cotuhé, Caquetá, Amazonas, Apaporis, and Putumayo Rivers in Colombia; the Napo, Curaray, Putumayo, Yaguas, Nanay, and Mazán Rivers in Peru; and the Puruí and Japurá Rivers in Brazil.

Although it doesn’t cause deforestation, this type of mining activity directly impacts not only the rivers but all ecosystems interconnected with them, due to the use of dredges and mercury. This mercury contamination spreads through the food chain, accumulating in species consumed by the local population, harming their health. This type of mining can extract up to three kilograms of gold per month, equivalent to approximately $275,000 per month (Notes 2-3).

Specifically, this report examines the current situation of the Puré and Cotuhé Rivers, in their southeastern reaches, located in the Colombian Amazon (see Base Map). These rivers are located in the department of Amazonas, along the borders of Brazil and Peru.

In both cases, we analyzed these river stretches using a combination of very high-resolution satellite images (0.5 meters, Planet/Skysat) and overflight photographs (courtesy of the Amazon Alliance for the Reduction of the Impacts of Gold Mining – AARIMO in Spanish).

This report was produced in collaboration with our Colombian partner, the Foundation for Conservation and Sustainable Development (FCDS), and with financial support from the Overbrook Foundation and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation..

Detection of mining activity in the Puré River

The Puré River flows through the core of the Río Puré National Park in the southeastern Colombian Amazon (see Base Map).

This protected area, in addition to its extraordinary biodiversity and high carbon levels, also plays a role as a food source for Indigenous communities and is recognized as home to Indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation, including the Yurí–Passé, whose high vulnerability has been widely recognized internationally.

This protected area faces pressures and threats primarily associated with alluvial mining activities, which are increasingly occurring along the Puré River from the border with Brazil. The impacts of this activity include mercury contamination of water and fish, destruction of aquatic habitats and ecosystems, hunting, logging, and impacts on food security and the environment where communities in voluntary isolation live.

Despite interventions by the Colombian government and ongoing monitoring by organizations, mining activities continue, with increased intensity during periods when the river flow is lowest.Analyzing a Skysat image from November 2024, we found 29 dredges along the Puré River (see red dots in Figure 1). Figures 1J-L show examples of these findings. In other Skysat images from March and April 2025, we identified 27 dredges (see yellow dots in Figure 1).

Figure 1. Detected gold mining activity in the Puré River. Data: Amazon Conservation/MAAP, FCDS.

Overflight photos – Puré River

The following photos (corresponding to points 1-3 in Figure 1) were taken during a low-altitude overflight conducted by FCDS in September 2024. This additional resolution provides additional information on mining methods and their impacts (AARIMO 2024).

Punto 1

Overflight photo, Point 1. Green-roof dredger, with Starlink. Data: FCDS.
Overflight photo, Point 1. Green-roof dredger, with Starlink. Data: FCDS.

Punto 2

Overflight photo, Point 2. Three dredgers with barges and skidders. Data: FCDS.
Overflight photo, Point 2. Three dredgers with barges and skidders. Data: FCDS.

Punto 3

Overflight photo. Point 3. Dredges and heavy machinery. Data: FCDS.

Detection of mining activity in the Cotuhé River

The Cotuhé River borders the north of Amacayacu National Park (see Base Map) and passes through the Cotuhé Putumayo Indigenous Reserve (see Figure 2), in the southeast Colombian Amazon, on the borders with Peru and Brazil.

Analyzing a Skysat image from November 30, 2024, we found five dredges (Figure 2). Figures 2A-D show examples of these findings.

Figure 2. Detected gold mining activity in the Cotuhé River. Data: Amazon Conservation/MAAP, FCDS.

Overflight photos – Cotuhé River

The following photos (corresponding to points 4-5 in Figure 2) were taken from a low-altitude overflight conducted by FCDS in September 2024 (AARIMO 2024).

Punto 4

Overflight photo, Point 4. Dredger in operation with Starlink antenna. Data: FCDS
Overflight photo, Point 5. Dredger. Data: FCDS

Policy Implications

The illegal river-based mining analyzed here occurs within two important Colombian protected areas, Río Puré and Amacayacu National Parks. In these areas, no mining operations of any kind are permitted, due to impacts on biodiversity, Indigenous communities in voluntary isolation, and local Indigenous communities that depend on natural resources for their survival, putting their food security at risk.

An important factor that has intensified mining activity in the area has been the significant upward trend in the price of gold. In January 2008, an ounce of gold was quoted at around $812. By July 2024, this value reached $2,514, representing an increase of more than 200% over that period. Furthermore, recent changes in tariff policies have further boosted demand for gold (GoldMarket, 2024). Consequently, in February 2025, gold reached new highs, approaching $3,000 per ounce, substantially driven by central bank purchases (El País, 2025a).

Although Law 1658 of 2013 initiated the ban on the use of mercury in Colombia, it was not fully implemented until 2023. This ban includes the import and export of mercury to and from Colombia. However, despite the ban in Colombia, this element is used in considerable quantities for illegal gold mining in border areas, such as those observed in this report. Thus, Colombia, Brazil, and Peru face a significant challenge in complying with the law, as controls on the sale and use of this element in border areas are very complex due to the fact that these are difficult-to-access areas.

In general, a correlation has been observed between the granting of mining concessions in cross-border areas and the increase in informal mining in the Amazon subregion. For example, in the case of the Río Puré National Park, the presence of mining dredges has increased within protected areas. These dredges enter the Puré River from the Brazilian side, where therea area a large number of formal mining concessions.

A key challenge is to strengthen operational capacities and coordinate control actions among the three border countries (Colombia, Peru, and Brazil) to combat environmental crimes associated with illegal mining. These operations must be effective and not result in actions that harm the local communities and Indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation in the region, as this exacerbates the internal conflict in Colombia.

Notes

1 Ministerio de Minas y Energía, 2023

2 Ebus & Pedroso, 2023

3 Bullion Vault, 2025

Acknowledgments

This report was produced in collaboration with our Colombian partner, the Foundation for Conservation and Sustainable Development (FCDS), and with financial support from the Overbrook Foundation and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

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MAAP #227: Gold Mining in the Ecuadorian Amazon – Northern Sector

Posted on by Matt Finer
Base Map. Gold mining deforestation in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Data: Amazon Mining Watch, RAISG

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 deforestation (2019–2024) in red. Note the concentration of new mining activity in the western part of the Ecuadorian Amazon, along the transition with the Andes Mountains.

This is the first in a series of reports detailing gold mining in these areas. In this report, we focus on deforestation due to mining in the northern sector, around the Cofán Bermejo Ecological Reserve.

The Cofán Bermejo Ecological Reserve was one of the best-preserved protected areas in the province of Sucumbios until approximately 2020. In recent years, a rapid expansion of gold mining has been unfolding in the buffer zone of the southeastern edge of the reserve.

The vast majority of this activity has been identified as illegal mining, as it occurs outside designated mining areas, or is carried out in concession areas without proper authorization. The expansion of illegal gold mining in this sector is promoted by criminal groups located on the border with Colombia (Note 1).

 

 

Mining in the Ecuadorian Amazon – Northern Sector

Figure 1. Mining to the southeast of Cofán-Bermejo Ecological Reserve. Data: AMW, ACA/MAAP; MAATE; NCI, Planet.

In a previous report, MAAP #186 analyzed mining activity just outside Cofán Bermejo Ecological Reserve, located in the northern Ecuadorian Amazon, in the province of Sucumbíos. Here, we update and expand this analysis around the reserve.

This expanded analysis incorporates additional conservation areas, such as El Bermejo Protective Forest and the Cascales Municipal Conservation and Sustainable Use Area (see Figure 1), as well as Shuar and Kichwa Indigenous territories (Figure 2).

Due to the development of this mining activity in several different land designation areas, it is worth emphasizing that there are two major factors determining its legality or illegality in Ecuador:

1) Express prohibition provided for by the Constitution or law, as in the case of metal mining activities in protected areas (Article 407 of the Constitution) or the prohibition on the use of mercury in mining operations (Article 86.1 of the Mining Law).

2) Lack of authorization, such as conducting exploration and exploitation activities without the corresponding permits.

In terms of social impact, Mongabay Latam (2023) contextualizes this area (References 1-2): “Indigenous communities and social and environmental organizations that work in the territory cannot openly denounce what is happening in this border area with Colombia, due to the presence of armed groups and the serious security problems that exist there.”

Considering that the largest area of ​​gold mining deforestation is located in the Cascales Conservation and Sustainable Use Area (Figure 1), it is important to note that this type of designation (Conservation and Sustainable Use Areas) are zones created by decentralized autonomous local governments, communities, or private landowners to conserve biodiversity and develop sustainable activities that maintain ecosystem services beneficial to human life. Activities such as conservation, research, restoration, education, culture, recreation, and tourism, as well as sustainable subsistence production activities, can be carried out in these protected areas. The declaration of these protected areas does not modify mining concessions granted by the National Environmental Authority that remain in force and may be renewed, as long as they are compatible with sustainable use.

Regarding El Bermejo Protective Forest, this designation type (Protective Forest) is natural vegetation formations (trees, shrubs, or herbs) found in areas with rugged topography, headwaters of watersheds, or zones unsuitable for agriculture or livestock farming. Their primary function is to conserve water, soil, flora, and wildlife. Activities permitted in these forests, with authorization from the National Environmental Authority, include the promotion of wildlife, the execution of priority public works, sustainable forest management, and scientific, tourism, and recreational activities.

Indigenous Territories

Figure 2. Gold mining deforestation in Indigenous territories (Shuar & Kichwa). Data: ACA/MAAP; EcoCiencia; Planet

In addition to  the Cofán Bermejo Indigenous Territory, which shares boundaries with the Ecological Reserve of the same name, gold mining deforestation threatens six surrounding Shuar and Kichwa Indigenous territories (Figure 2).

Note that these territories overlap with the conservation areas noted above.

In total, 68% of the mining deforestation detected in the study area was identified as occurring within these Indigenous territories.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Increase in Gold Mining Deforestation 2020 – 2024

Using satellite imagery (Planet), we estimated the annual expansion of gold mining deforestation in this area between 2020 and 2024. The total forest area affected by mining by the end of 2024 is approximately 754 hectares, equivalent to 1,863 acres.

The vast majority of this mining occurred in the Cascales Conservation and Sustainable Use Area or Indigenous territories.

The analysis shows that the largest increase occurred in 2024, with an expansion of 189.62 hectares. Overall, we documented a trend of continual accumulated expansion of gold mining deforestation across the region (Graph 1).

Graph 1. Mining activity 2017-2024 outside the Ecological Reserve Cofanes – Bermejo. Data: ACA/MAAP; Fundación EcoCiencia.

Mining Concessions

Figure 3. Overlay of mining activities with the mining cadastre. Data: ACA/MAAP; EcoCiencia; ARCOM; Planet

By adding the mining land designations, we determined that 59% of the mining deforestation (444 hectares) occured outside legal mining areas (Figure 3).

The Ecuadorian government, through the Ministry of Energy and Mines, grants mining rights for the exploitation of mineral resources in each of its phases (mining activity is divided into an exploration and development phase).

The exploration phase is further divided into three periods: initial exploration, advanced exploration, and economic evaluation.

Carrying out development activities prior to the granting of the right is illegal and may incur administrative or criminal sanctions.

 

 

 

 

 

Case Studies

We selected three case studies within the monitoring area to illustrate the rapid expansion of mining activity (see Insets A-C in Figure 3). The comparative panels below demonstrate the expansion of mining activity between May 2024 (left panel) and December 2024 (right panel) in each case.

Zoom A.

Panel A shows mining deforestation taking place outside designated mining concession areas. Moreover, this activity is occurring within a Shuar Indigenous territory (Taruka Territory).

Panel Zoom A. Mining deforestation in Shuar Indigenous territory. Data: ARCOM (2025); Planet

Zoom B.

In Panel B, we identified 61.4 hectares of mining activity within the El Tuerto mining concession. However, this concession is currently in the initial exploration phase, meaning it has not yet been authorized for development.

Panel Zoom B. Data: ARCOM (2025); Planet

Zoom C.

In Panel C, we recorded 19.65 hectares of mining activity within the El Porvenir mining concession. It is also currently in the exploration phase, with no authorization for development. Furthermore, this activity takes place within the ancestral territory of the Puma Kucha Commune (Kichwa Indigenous territory).

Panel Zoom C. Data: ARCOM (2025); Planet

Policy Implications

The recent gold mining deforestation described above highlights several key policy needs:

  • Regulate public investment to ensure that the various conservation entities recognized by the national government have the necessary resources for oversight within their jurisdiction.
  • Strengthen investigation and oversight processes in institutions responsible for ensuring environmentally responsible mining activities.

Methodology

In addition to Amazon Mining Watch to create the Base Map, we used LandTrendR, a temporal segmentation algorithm that identifies changes in pixel values ​​over time, to detect forest loss at the edge of the Cofán-Bermejo Ecological Reserve between August 2017 and December 2024 using the Google Earth Engine platform. Importantly, this method was originally designed for moderate-resolution (30-meter) Landsat imagery (Reference 3), but was adapted for higher spatial resolution (4.7-meter) NICFI-Planet monthly mosaics (Reference 4).

References

  1. Antonio José Paz Cardona. (2023, 7 junio). Ecuador: minería ilegal sigue avanzando hacia el interior de la Reserva Ecológica Cofán Bermejo. Noticias Ambientales. https://es.mongabay.com/2023/06/mineria-ilegal-reserva-ecologica-cofan-bermejo-ecuador/
  2. Amazon Watch report ‘Oro, bandas y gobernanza: La crisis que enfrentan las comunidades indígenas amazónicas de Ecuador’ 
  3. Kennedy, R.E., Yang, Z., Gorelick, N., Braaten, J., Cavalcante, L., Cohen, W.B., Healey, S. (2018). Implementation of the LandTrendr Algorithm on Google Earth Engine. Remote Sensing. 10, 691.
  4. Erik Lindquist, FAO, 2021

Acknowledgments

This report is part of a series focused on the Ecuadorian Amazon through a strategic collaboration between the EcoCiencia Foundation and Amazon Conservation, with support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

MAAP #221: Illegal mining in protected areas of the Ecuadorian Amazon

Posted on by Matt Finer
Base Map. Protected areas in the Ecuadorian Amazon threatened by mining.

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.

Here, we analyze the four protected areas in the Ecuadorian Amazon that are currently threatened by mining activities: Podocarpus and Sumaco Napo-Galeras National Parks, Cofán Bermejo Ecological Reserve, and El Zarza Wildlife Refuge (see Base Map).

The mining is occurring deep within Podocarpus National Park.

In the other three areas (Sumaco Napo-Galeras National Park, Cofán Bermejo Ecological Reserve, and El Zarza Wildlife Refuge), unregulated mining activities are expanding in their buffer zones and starting to penetrate their respective boundaries.

Below, we present a concise analysis of these four affected protected areas, featuring high-resolution satellite imagery.

 

 

 

Podocarpus National Park

We analyzed the illegal mining activities along the Loyola River within Podocarpus National Park. We first detected the mining deforestation of 22 hectares in July 2023. By September 2024, this impact had increased to 50 hectares (124 acres), resulting in an illegal expansion of 125% within the park between 2023 and 2024 (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Mining deforestation on the banks of the Loyola River inside the Podocarpus National Park, July 2023 (left panel) vs August 2024 (right panel).
Figure 1a. Skysat image of mining deforestation of the Loyola River within the Podocarpus National Park,

In addition, we used a very high-resolution image (SkySat, 0.50 meters) from March 25, 2024, to visualize the pattern and impact of the illegal mining in greater detail.

Importantly, we found evidence that the mining activity is changing the course of the Loyola River.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sumaco Napo – Galeras National Park

We have continuously monitored the expansion of illegal mining in the Punino River basin ((MAAP #151, MAAP #219).) and its advance towards Sumaco Napo-Galeras National Park. In May 2024, we first detected the penetration of illegal mining across the park’s southeastern boundary.

We estimate the expansion of 142 hectares (350 acres) in the park’s buffer zone, between September 2022 and August 2024. We also just detected the penetration (0.32 hectares) of illegal mining into the park’s boundaries (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Mining deforestation in the Sumaco Napo-Galeras National Park, September 2022 (left panel) vs August 2024 (right panel).

Cofán Bermejo Ecologial Reserve

In MAAP #186, we showed how mining activities along the Bermeja River threaten the boundaries of the Cofán Bermejo Ecological Reserve in the northern Ecuadorian Amazon. In this area, a total mining advance of 337 hectares (833 acres) was recorded during the period from February 2020 to September 2024, of which it was estimated that 1.05 hectares (2.6 acres) are within the boundary of the Cofán Bermejo Ecological Reserve (Figure 3).

Figure 3. Mining deforestation in the Cofán Bermejo Ecological Reserve, Feb 2020 (left panel) vs Sept 2024 (right panel).

El Zarza Wildlife Refuge

We detected mining activities along the Zarza River impacting 33 hectares (82 acres) in the buffer zone of the El Zarza Wildlife Refuge (Figure 4).

Figura 4. Deforestación minera en la zona de amortiguamiento del Refugio de Vida Silvestre el Zarza, septiembre 2022 (panel izq) vs agosto 2024 (panel der).

Acknowledgements

This report is part of a series focused on the Ecuadorian Amazon through a strategic collaboration between the EcoCiencia Foundation and Amazon Conservation, with the support of the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad).

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MAAP #208: Gold mining in the southern Peruvian Amazon, summary 2021-2024

Posted on by dcadmin
Figure 1. Recent expansion of illegal gold mining in the southern Peruvian Amazon. Data: Planet, NICFI

With the technical support of USAID (United States Agency for International Development) and Norad (Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation),1 we have published a series of reports on the dynamic situation regarding gold mining in the southern Peruvian Amazon during recent years 2.

Illegal gold mining reached crisis levels between 2017 and 2018 in the area known as La Pampa (Madre de Dios region), eliminating thousands of hectares of primary forest in the buffer zone of the Tambopata National Reserve.

In early 2019, the Peruvian government implemented Operation Mercury, a multi-sectoral intervention against illegal mining, initially focusing on La Pampa. This operation was later replaced (in 2021) by the Restoration Plan, which included interventions in other critical mining areas of the Madre de Dios region in the southern Peruvian Amazon.

In this report, we offer a concise summary of the mining situation during the past three years (between January 2021 and March 2024) in the southern Peruvian Amazon, in the context of the Restoration Plan.

During this period, we recorded a total mining deforestation of 30,846 hectares (76,222 acres), equivalent to over 40,000 soccer fields.8

Of this total, three-quarters (74%) of the deforestation occurred within the official Mining Corridor, a large area (almost half a million hectares) where the government permits artisanal and small-scale mining to organize and promote this activity3. In other words, the vast majority of mining deforestation is not necessarily illegal, because it is in the corridor designated for this activity.

The remaining one-quarter (26%) of the deforestation corresponds to probable illegal mining. That is, mining activities carried out in prohibited areas outside the Mining Corridor, such as protected areas, their buffer zones, territories of Native Communities, and bodies of water.4

Base Map: Mining deforestation in the southern Peruvian Amazon

We highlight several important findings illustrated in the Base Map and Table 1, both presented below. In both cases, we highlight recent mining deforestation (between January 2021 and March 2024). Red indicates deforested areas outside of the Mining Corridor (representing our estimate of illegal mining), while yellow indicates recently deforested areas within the Mining Corridor.

Base Map. Mining deforestation inside and outside the Madre de Dios Mining Corridor, in the southern Peruvian Amazon, between January 2021 and March 2024. Data: ACCA/MAAP.

We found that mining deforestation is concentrated within the Mining Corridor, representing 73.8% of the total (22,756 hectares). This is especially evident in the Guacamayo mining area and along the Madre Dios River.

The rest of the mining deforestation (26.2%) is outside the Mining Corridor. The majority of this deforestation (14.6%) is occurring in the 10 Native Communities of the area, covering a total of 4,494 hectares. The most affected communities are San José de Karene (1,099 ha), Barranco Chico (1,008 ha) and Tres Islas (827 ha), followed by Puerto Luz (305 ha), Boca Inambari (305 ha), Kotsimba (297 ha), San Jacinto (269 ha), Shiringayoc (267 ha), Arazaire (78 ha) and El Pilar (40 ha). However, there are different trends. For example, mining deforestation between 2021 and 2024 has decreased in Barranco Chico, while it has increased in San José de Karene, Tres Islas and Boca Inambari.

We also identified mining deforestation of 2,439 hectares (7.9%) in buffer zones of Protected Areas. The most affected are Tambopata National Reserve (such as the Mangote area, see Figure 1), Bahuaja Sonene National Park, and Amarakaeri Communal Reserve. However, it must be emphasized that mining within the actual Protected Areas has been effectively controlled by the Peruvian government, through the National Service of Protected Natural Areas (SERNANP).

In addition, we detected some mining deforestation (198 hectares) in Brazil nut forestry concessions located in the Pariamanu area.

Finally, it is important to mention that in the critical area known as La Pampa (noted above), the expansion of mining deforestation has been effectively stopped after Operation Mercury. A recent report (MAAP #193), however, showed a large increase in mining activity in previously deforested areas of La Pampa.

Table 1. Mining deforestation by category in the southern Peruvian Amazon, between January 2021 and March 2024. Data: ACA/MAAP.

Monitoring & Control of Native Communities by FENAMAD

As noted above, a large portion of the illegal mining deforestation in the southern Peruvian Amazon is occurring within the territory of the Native Communities. These Native Communities are part of an articulated federation known as FENAMAD, which is the regional representative organization of the indigenous peoples of the Madre de Dios River basin. FENAMAD defends the fundamental and collective rights of indigenous peoples and native communities, including indigenous peoples in situations of isolation and initial contact.

1. First, FENAMAD identifies priority communities threatened by illegal mining and requiring urgent monitoring.

2. Subsequently, Amazon Conservation leads real-time satellite monitoring in these prioritized communities and delivers confidential reports to FENAMAD.

3. FENAMAD then reviews the reports together with the territory monitors and the results are shared with the affected native communities who decide whether these cases require a legal process.

4. FENAMAD formulates the Environmental Legal Complaint files and delivers them to the corresponding government institutions (Prosecutor’s Office Specialized in Environmental Matters of Madre de Dios –FEMA, National Police of Peru –PNP, Ecological Police of Peru, among others).

5. Finally, in selected cases, the government organizes and directs an on-the-ground operation against illegal mining activity and associated equipment.

This process has led to the execution of 5 government-led operations between 2022 and 2024, in three communities: Barranco Chico, Kotsimba and San José de Karene (see Base Map).

Of these operations, 3 took place in the community of Barranco Chico,5 which has been especially affected by illegal mining deforestation (967 hectares in the last three years). Figure 2 indicates the location of these operations. It should be noted that mining deforestation in Barranco Chico has decreased between 2021 and 2024, likely due to these types of interventions.

Figure 2. Location of operations against illegal mining in the Barranco Chico Native Community.

The other operations occurred in the communities of Kotsimba6 and San José de Karene7.

It is worth noting that this collaboration between FENAMAD and Amazon Conservation, which is supported by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), is currently expanding to additional native communities within the impacted region.

Notes

1 USAID Prevent works with the Government of Peru, civil society and the private sector to prevent and combat environmental crimes for the conservation of the Peruvian Amazon, particularly in the regions of Loreto, Madre de Dios and Ucayali. USAID’s Prevent Project also has support from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD).

2 Previous MAAP reports about gold mining in the southern Peruvian Amazon:

MAAP #195: GOLD MINING DEFORESTATION IN THE SOUTHERN PERUVIAN AMAZON, 2021-2023
https://www.maapprogram.org/2023/mining-deforest-peru
November 2023

MAAP #185: GOLD MINING DEFORESTATION IN THE SOUTHERN PERUVIAN AMAZON: 2021-2022 UPDATE
https://www.maapprogram.org/2023/peru-gold-mining-update/
June 2023

MAAP #171: DEFORESTATION IN MINING CORRIDOR OF PERUVIAN AMAZON (2021-2022)
https://www.maapprogram.org/2022/mining-corridor-peru/
December 2022

MAAP #154: ILLEGAL GOLD MINING IN THE PERUVIAN AMAZON – 2022 UPDATE
https://www.maapprogram.org/2022/gold-mining-peru-update/
May 2022

3 The Mining Corridor, named by Legislative Decree No. 1100, as the “Zone of small mining and artisanal mining in the department of Madre Dios”, catalogs mining activities as:

– Formal: It is carried out with authorization for exploration and exploitation in a specific area, with conditions and operations regulated by the legal framework of the mining sector. It has approved environmental, administrative and operational permits.

– Informal: Artisanal and small-scale mining operates in permitted areas for mineral extraction and uses permitted machinery. Although it does not have authorization to carry out mining activity, it is in the formalization process in accordance with the provisions of Legislative Decree No. 1105, which establishes provisions for the formalization process of small-scale mining and artisanal mining activities. Therefore, it is considered an administrative infraction, but not a crime.

– Illegal: Exploration, extraction and exploitation of mineral resources in prohibited areas (such as Protected Areas and bodies of water) and using prohibited machinery, failing to comply with administrative, technical and environmental requirements established in Peruvian legislation. This is a crime stipulated in article 207-A of the Penal Code, which carries a custodial sentence.

4 Although keep in mind that there may be mining concessions within the Native Community territories.

5 FEMA operations in the Barranco Chico community occurred in April 2022 (América Televisión video), April 2023 (El Comercio) and June 2023. There was an initial operation before the project in 2021.

6 FEMA operation in the Kotsimba community occurred in October 2023.

7 FEMA operation in the community of San José de Karene occurred in April 2024.

8 Of this total (30,846 hectares), 28,292 hectares occurred during 2021-2023, while 2,554 hectares occurred in the first quarter of 2024.

9 Undesignated refers to areas without a formal designation and not included in any of the other categories.

Methodology

We used LandTrendR, a temporal segmentation algorithm that identifies changes in pixel values over time, to detect forest loss within the mining corridor between January 2021 and March 2024 using the Google Earth Engine platform. Importantly, this method was originally designed for moderate resolution Landsat imagery (30 meters)1, but we adapted it for higher spatial resolution (4.7 meters) NICFI-Planet monthly mosaics.2

In addition, we created a baseline for the period 2016 – 2020 to eliminate previously deforested areas (pre 2021), to account for rapid changes in the natural revegetation process.

Finally, we manually separated forest loss from mining vs other causes, to report specifically on direct mining-related impacts between 2021 and 2024. We used several resources to help this manual process, such as alerts with radar images (RAMI) from the SERVIR Amazonía program, historical data from the Amazon Scientific Innovation Center – CINCIA (from 1985 to 2021), and forest loss data from the Peruvian state (National Forest Conservation Program for Climate Change Mitigation) and the University of Maryland.

  1. Kennedy, R.E., Yang, Z., Gorelick, N., Braaten, J., Cavalcante, L., Cohen, W.B., Healey, S. (2018). Implementation of the LandTrendr Algorithm on Google Earth Engine. Remote Sensing. 10, 691.
  2. Erik Lindquist, FAO, 2021

Acknowledgments

We especially thank FENAMAD for this important strategic collaboration.

This report was prepared with the technical support of USAID through the Prevent Project. Prevent (Proyecto Prevenir in Spanish) works with the Government of Peru, civil society, and the private sector to prevent and combat environmental crimes for the conservation of the Peruvian Amazon, particularly in the regions of Loreto, Madre de Dios, and Ucayali. USAID’s Prevent Project also has support from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD).

This publication is made possible by the generous support of the American people through USAID. The contents are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

Citation

Finer M, Mamani N (2024) Gold mining in the southern Peruvian Amazon, summary 2021-2024. MAAP: 208.