New Amazon Mining Policy Scoreboard Reveals Critical Gaps in the Fight Against Illegal Gold Mining

June 18, 2026

Amazon Conservation launches a first-of-its-kind tool comparing mining governance across all eight Amazonian countries

As record-high gold prices continue to fuel the expansion of artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASM) across the Amazon, governments face mounting pressure to address one of the region’s most persistent drivers of deforestation, ecosystem degradation, and social conflict. To help strengthen these efforts, Amazon Conservation has launched the Amazon Mining Policy Scoreboard, a new tool that evaluates and compares the legal and policy frameworks governing gold mining across all eight Amazonian countries.

The Scoreboard is the newest feature within Amazon Mining Watch, Amazon Conservation’s online platform that provides comprehensive information on gold mining activity across the Amazon. Developed with support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation in partnership with Earth Genome and the Pulitzer Center, the platform combines satellite-based monitoring of mining activity with policy and governance information, creating a more complete picture of the challenges and opportunities facing the region.

The Amazon Mining Policy Scoreboard helps fill that gap by providing a transparent, comparative view of mining governance across the region. Together with the mining footprint data available through Amazon Mining Watch, the tool offers decision-makers a powerful resource for identifying weaknesses, sharing best practices, and strengthening the policies needed to protect forests, rivers, Indigenous territories, and communities across the Amazon. Read more about our current findings below or in the platform.

Explore the Amazon Mining Policy Scoreboard: https://amazonminingwatch.org/en/amazon-mining-policy-scoreboard