This month, our Monitoring of the Andes Amazon Program (MAAP) released two major reports on illegal gold mining in two of the Amazon’s most critical territories: the Yanomami Indigenous Territory in Brazil and the Tambopata National Reserve in Peru. The findings are both encouraging and deeply alarming.

Brazil: Progress in Yanomami, but miners are adapting

The new report released by Instituto Socioambiental (ISA) in partnership with our MAAP initiative, documents a sharp decline in mining-driven deforestation inside the Yanomami Indigenous Territory following the Brazilian government’s large-scale intervention in 2023. Newly cleared mining areas dropped from roughly 1,800 hectares in 2022 to just 45 hectares in 2025. This means a reduction of over 90%. But the threat has not gone away, it has shifted. Satellite mapping shows that illegal miners have adopted a more decentralized tactic and are moving toward areas closer to the Venezuelan border to evade enforcement. The Yanomami Indigenous Territory Alert System recorded 66 territorial alerts in 2025 alone, the majority involving clandestine aircraft, river incursions, and the movement of supplies into mining zones.

 

Peru: A dangerous resurgence in Tambopata

The analysis conducted by Conservación Amazónica–ACCA, in partnership with our MAAP initiative, documented more than 500 hectares of forest lost, and identified 183 active mining structures, 67 illegal camps, and an estimated 1,000 people currently operating within the protected area. What makes this resurgence especially alarming is that mining is now expanding close to government control posts inside the reserve, significantly increasing risks for the park rangers who defend it. In 2025 alone, mining-driven deforestation inside Tambopata exceeded 400 hectares, surpassing even the worst years of incursions recorded between 2016 and 2017. The report points some factors driving this return: record-high international gold prices, weakened environmental regulations, and reduced enforcement capacity, all creating conditions in which criminal networks can reorganize faster than the State can respond.

 

Together, these two reports show a defining challenge for the Amazon: enforcement works, but it must be sustained in order to protect these territories.

Earlier this month, Amazon Conservation joined climate and forest leaders from around the world at the 16th Annual Meeting of the Governors’ Climate and Forests Task Force (GCF Task Force), held in Caquetá, Colombia from May 18–22, 2026. The GCF Task Force unites 45 subnational governments across 11 countries, representing more than a third of the world’s tropical forests.The meeting brought together subnational governments, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, civil society, and the private sector around the theme “New Forest Economy for Climate Action: Territorial Development and Innovation.”

At the meeting, Amazon Mining Watch was highlighted as a valuable tool in the fight against illegal gold mining across the Amazon basin . Discussions made clear that more tools of this kind are urgently needed. Amazon’s Conservation participation in spaces like this is invaluable for building the alliances and cross-sector collaboration required to make lasting progress. 

Andrés Santana, Amazon Conservation’s Senior Manager for Combating Illegal Deforestation, shared his reflections on the meeting: “Since its creation, the GCF Task Force has been mainly oriented to building a forest-based economy, highlighting the role that regional governments can play. This year’s annual meeting was a milestone because organizers and members are increasingly acknowledging the importance of tackling environmental crimes that are preventing the enabling conditions necessary for a thriving bioeconomy.”

The week also included field visits across Caquetá, where participants explored community-led initiatives in sustainable ranching, agroforestry, and bioeconomy, living proof that forest-compatible economies are not just possible, but already being built. “During the field visit to the “Territorial Space for Training and Reintegration – ETCR Aguabonita” we could witness first hand how a new and prosperous forest economy can help social reconciliation in post conflict zones by harvesting and transforming fruits such as Açaí, Canangucha, Copoazú and other Amazonian products. That is true peace with nature” states Santana. 

At Amazon Conservation, we recognize the importance of these initiatives for long-term forest conservation. Visiting them is an opportunity to learn, connect, and strengthen our work across the region.