• Satellite monitoring shows more than 500 hectares of forest lost and nearly a thousand people involved in illegal mining operating inside the Tambopata National Reserve.
•  The advance of illegal mining continues, encroaching ever closer to government-run control posts within the protected area.

 Seven years after the historic Operación Mercurio was launched, illegal gold mining has surged back inside the Tambopata National Reserve, one of the most important protected areas in the southern Peruvian Amazon.

 A new high‑resolution satellite analysis by Conservación Amazónica–ACCA  reveals a troubling resurgence of mining activity during the second half of 2025 and the early months of 2026. This renewed expansion has already resulted in the loss of 500 hectares of Amazonian forest within the reserve.

The findings are presented in the latest MAAP Report #241, which documents not only the scale of the environmental destruction but also the intensifying criminal pressure on an ecosystem that is critical to global biodiversity.

A resurgence surpassing even the most critical years

The data show that in 2025 alone, mining‑driven deforestation inside Tambopata exceeded 400 hectares, a figure that surpasses the levels recorded during the most critical years of illegal mining incursions, between 2016 and 2017.

This new wave of expansion is concentrated primarily in the northern part of the reserve, in areas adjacent to the Malinowski River, a corridor long recognized as highly vulnerable to the entry of illegal operators.

Using 0.5‑meter‑resolution Skysat satellite imagery, the technical team identified 183 active mining structures, 67 illegal camps, and five major mining hubs operating within the reserve.

Drawing on the detected infrastructure and ACCA’s previously developed models, the analysis estimates that around 1,000 people may currently be involved in illegal gold extraction inside the protected area.

Illegal mining advances near State-run control posts

One of the report’s most troubling findings is that mining activity is now expanding in areas close to several control posts inside the Tambopata National Reserve, including Otorongo, Azul, and Yarinal.

Satellite imagery reveals a clear pattern: the opening of new mining pits, the installation of heavy machinery, and the steady growth of illegal camps within the protected area.

The most affected zones include Isla Córdoba, with 106 hectares deforested, 53 mining pits, and 20 camps; A4, with 101 hectares impacted, 68 mining structures, and 33 camps; and Isla Correntada, where 111 hectares have been affected and active machinery and illegal camps remain visible.

“It is particularly alarming that a significant share of the illegal mining advance is taking place inside the reserve and in areas close to control posts. This greatly heightens the risks faced by the park rangers responsible for safeguarding the Tambopata National Reserve and underscores the urgent need for broader, more decisive measures to prevent potential situations of violence or confrontation on the ground,” said Sidney Novoa, Director of Conservation Technologies at Conservación Amazónica–ACCA.

What is driving the return of illegal mining?

The report points to a convergence of economic, institutional, and political factors behind this renewed expansion. A key driver is the sustained rise in international gold prices, which reached record highs in 2025 and significantly increased the profitability of illegal extraction.

The analysis also warns that the current political and institutional climate may be enabling the resurgence of these illicit economies. Contributing factors include repeated extensions of the Reinfo registry, the weakening of regulations aimed at combating organized crime, the advancement of legislative proposals that could heighten extractive pressure on protected areas, and the budget constraints faced by the agencies responsible for oversight and enforcement.

Against this backdrop, the situation in Tambopata illustrates that enforcement operations alone are insufficient when environmental monitoring, regulatory oversight, and organized‑crime prevention mechanisms are being eroded. “Protecting natural protected areas requires regulatory stability, a sustained and effective State presence, and comprehensive measures that reduce the incentives currently fueling the expansion of these illegal economies,” said Gaby Rivandeneyra, Project Lead at DAR and representative of the Illegal Mining Observatory (OMI, the acronym in Spanish). 

Enforcement operations fall short of stopping the advance

Between January and March 2026, joint operations involving law‑enforcement agencies, environmental prosecutors, and other competent authorities succeeded in seizing and destroying machinery, fuel, engines, and camps linked to illegal mining.

However, satellite monitoring shows that, despite these interventions, the activity continues across the area.

This underscores a widening gap between the State’s operational response capacity and the speed with which criminal networks are able to reorganize and resume operations.

“The situation in the Tambopata National Reserve is emblematic for the entire Amazon. It shows that committed governments can confront illegal mining, but that the activity can return quickly if that commitment weakens,” said Matt Finer of Amazon Conservation.

A threat to biodiversity and to those who defend it

The Tambopata National Reserve protects some of the most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth. Yet the advance of illegal mining threatens not only its forests and waterways, but also the people who risk their safety to defend this territory.

Amid rising violence against environmental defenders in Madre de Dios, the report’s findings show that this new expansion is driven not only by criminal networks, but also by a deepening erosion of environmental governance.

Today, Tambopata is once again confronting a threat that puts decades of conservation efforts in the Peruvian Amazon to the test.

 

You can read the full report here:

https://www.maapprogram.org/mining-peru-tambopata/ 

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About the report

MAAP Report #241 was prepared by the Amazon Conservation’s Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Project (MAAP), in partnership with Conservación Amazónica–ACCA, leading this report. The analysis draws on high‑resolution satellite imagery, historical geospatial datasets, and a review of the political and institutional context surrounding illegal gold mining in the Peruvian Amazon.

 

After documenting the ongoing presence of illegal mining on indigenous territories in the Xingu region of the Brazilian Amazon, a new analysis shows that the activity also occurs in protected areas in the region, increasing the pressure on one of the most strategic territories for forest conservation.

The new report from the MAAP initiative (Monitoring of the Andes Amazon Program), led by Amazon Conservation, was developed in partnership with the Socio-Environmental Institute (ISA), which led the study, is the second part of a series on illegal mining in the Xingu River Basin, located in the eastern portion of the Brazilian Amazon (states of Pará and Mato Grosso). While the previous study (MAAP #239) analyzed indigenous territories, this new part (MAAP #240) details the conservation units affected by the activity.

The center of the analysis, the Xingu Socio-Environmental Diversity Corridor, connects 24 indigenous territories and 9 conservation units, covering more than 26 million hectares—one of the largest contiguous blocks of protected forests on the planet.

Recent cases in conservation areas

In 2025, the Xingu+ Network established a partnership with Amazon Conservation, providing access to high-resolution satellite imagery (from Planet), which made it possible to validate alerts and identify drivers of pressure. This collaboration also incorporates the Amazon Mining Watch (AMW) online platform.

The SiRAD X and AMW monitoring systems have identified consistent patterns of deforestation associated with gold mining in the Xingu Corridor since 2018, including the continuation of illegal activities throughout 2025.

The data indicate recent deforestation due to mining in six conservation units within the corridor, in addition to the indigenous territories reported in Part 1.

In the first phase of the study, three affected indigenous territories were detailed (Kuruaya, Baú, and Kayapó). In this second part, the analysis focuses on three conservation units: the Altamira National Forest, the Terra do Meio Ecological Station, and the Nascentes da Serra do Cachimbo Biological Reserve.

In the Altamira National Forest, illegal mining led to 832 hectares of deforestation between 2016 and September 2025. In the first eight months of 2025 alone, the impacted area already exceeded the total recorded for the entire year of 2024, indicating a recent increase in pressure. A new front in the southeastern sector, which began in 2024, had already reached 36 hectares by October 2025, accounting for 45.7% of the deforestation caused by mining recorded in the area that year.

At the Terra do Meio Ecological Station, a strictly protected area, gold mining was first identified in September 2024 and had reached approximately 30 hectares by the end of 2025, establishing a new front of activity within the unit.

Illegal airstrip identified through monitoring

In the Nascentes da Serra do Cachimbo Biological Reserve, illegal mining advanced throughout 2025, expanding from an initial area of about 2 hectares to at least 26.8 hectares in just a few months, with successive reports of expansion throughout the year. The report also documents the opening of an illegal airstrip in 2025, as well as direct impacts on waterways that supply neighboring indigenous territories.

The findings indicate that illegal gold mining occurs both on indigenous lands and within conservation areas, including zones where such activity is prohibited by law.

In addition to deforestation, the use of mercury in gold extraction poses a direct risk of river contamination, affecting ecosystems and communities that depend on these resources.

The fact that these activities continue even after enforcement actions highlights the challenges involved in effectively protecting these areas. Based on the data, the report recommends strengthening coordinated action among enforcement agencies, establishing permanent bases in critical areas, decommissioning clandestine airstrips, and seizing machinery, in addition to expanding monitoring and the restoration of degraded areas, and improving gold traceability mechanisms.

The report is part of a series on gold mining in the Amazon, developed by Amazon Conservation in partnership with regional organizations, with support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

 

 

 

 

Between January and September 2025, a total of 335 hectares, an area comparable to about 530 soccer fields, were deforested due to illegal mining in Indigenous Territories within the Xingu River Basin, between the states of Mato Grosso and Pará in the Brazilian Amazon. The analysis indicates that isolated enforcement actions have not been sufficient to halt the advance of mining activities, underscoring the need for structural, long-term responses to address the problem.

 A new study reveals that illegal gold mining continues to maintain a persistent presence in Indigenous Territories across the Amazon, particularly in the Xingu River Basin, raising concerns about growing risks to forests and local populations. 

The analysis, conducted by the Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Project (MAAP) of Amazon Conservation in partnership with the Instituto Socioambiental (ISA), which led the report, combines MAAP data with two monitoring systems: SiRAD X, developed by the Xingu+ Network, and Amazon Mining Watch, created by Amazon Conservation, Earth Genome, and the Pulitzer Center. These systems use satellite imagery, radar, and artificial intelligence to detect mining areas. Their complementary methodologies reveal consistent patterns of expansion over time.

The data show that between January and September 2025, a total of 335 hectares were deforested within Indigenous Territories, underscoring the continued pressure of illegal mining in the region.

According to the report, at least 11,500 hectares of forest were lost between 2018 and 2024 in Indigenous Territories and protected areas within the Xingu River Basin. Deforestation associated with illegal mining continues to occur within protected territories, even following recent enforcement operations.

Territory under pressure

At the heart of this dynamic lies the Xingu Socio‑Environmental Diversity Corridor, one of the largest continuous expanses of officially protected forest on the planet, spanning more than 26 million hectares. The corridor connects 24 Indigenous lands and 9 protected areas, and plays a critical role in safeguarding the Amazon rainforest. However, it remains under intensifying pressure from illegal gold mining, expanding agribusiness, illegal logging, and human‑caused forest fires.

This initial part of the study offers a detailed analysis of three Indigenous lands: Kuruaya, Baú, and Kayapó, revealing how illegal mining has advanced in recent years and the direct impacts it has imposed on these territories and their communities.

In the Kuruaya Indigenous land, illegal mining has intensified along the Madalena River. Between 2023 and July 2025, the affected area surpassed 34 hectares. In the Baú Indigenous land, the report identifies at least 110 hectares of destroyed forest, along with documented incidents of armed conflict between miners and Indigenous peoples.

The most critical situation is on the Kayapó Indigenous land, which shows the largest area deforested by illegal mining in the Brazilian Amazon. Report data, based on the Amazon Mining Watch platform, indicate a cumulative total of approximately 7,940 hectares impacted, including 140 hectares between January and September 2025. Despite federal government operations in May to remove miners and equipment, at least 2 new hectares of mining activity were detected in June.

“The data from monitoring systems used by both institutions leave no doubt that the Xingu Corridor is facing a scenario of increasing and widespread pressure, with illegal mining pushing into areas that had remained intact until now. Addressing this requires a long‑term, structural response to ensure the integrity of these forests and the peoples who depend on them,” says Thaise Rodrigues, Geoprocessing Analyst at Instituto Socioambiental (ISA).

Technology and Monitoring Reveal Consistent Patterns

In 2025, ISA partnered with Amazon Conservation to expand access to high-resolution satellite imagery provided by Planet through MAAP. This resource improved the validation of alerts and the identification of pressure drivers. The collaboration also integrates the public Amazon Mining Watch dashboard, developed by Amazon Conservation, Earth Genome, and the Pulitzer Center.

The Xingu+ Network conducts monthly monitoring of deforestation and other pressures in the corridor through SiRAD X (Xingu Remote Deforestation Alert System), which uses radar technology. The system is also supported by a network of local partners responsible for on-the-ground territorial monitoring.

(Mining in Barú Indigenous Territory. Data: Planet/NICFI.) 

The Amazon Mining Watch platform uses artificial intelligence and satellite data to detect deforestation caused by illegal mining across all countries in the Amazon Basin.

The impacts of illegal mining go far beyond forest loss. The activity is linked to mercury contamination of rivers, biodiversity loss, and increased socioenvironmental conflicts, putting at risk the safety and livelihoods of Indigenous and riverine communities, as well as urban populations that depend on forest and river resources and ecosystem services such as climate regulation.

(Mining in Kayapó Indigenous Territory. Data: Planet/NICFI.)     

“This is one of the most comprehensive analyses to date on the growing impact of gold mining in Indigenous lands and protected areas within the Xingu Corridor, one of the main hotspots of mining activity in the Brazilian Amazon. By bringing together complementary and previously unavailable datasets, the study enhances our understanding of recent trends and helps guide more effective monitoring, enforcement, and decision‑making.” says Matt Finer, director of the MAAP program at Amazon Conservation.

From response to action

The report underscores that beyond enforcement operations to remove miners, it is necessary to coordinate interinstitutional actions and prioritize the implementation of public policies in territories threatened by illegal mining. Key recommendations include the creation of a permanent interinstitutional task force to dismantle mining logistics networks, strengthening enforcement agencies such as IBAMA, ICMBio, and FUNAI, expanding community-led territorial monitoring, and advancing gold supply chain traceability with greater transparency regarding its origin.

Without a long-term strategy, the study warns of a high risk of recurring invasions following enforcement operations.

This report is part of a two-part series on the advance of illegal mining in the Xingu River Basin. This first edition focuses on Indigenous Territories, while the second will examine mining-related deforestation in protected areas, with analysis centered on three conservation units: Altamira National Forest, Terra do Meio Ecological Station, and Nascentes da Serra do Cachimbo Biological Reserve.

 

Read the MAAP 239 full report – Part 1 – HERE.

Read the MAAP 240 full report – Part 2 – HERE.

Read the Associated Press story about the report HERE.