In just eight months illegal gold mining deforestation increased by up to 660% inside protected areas in Brazil’s Juruena River Basin. Rapid expansion of illegal mining inside Juruena National Park highlights persistent challenges for environmental enforcement and protected area governance. Source: MAAP (Monitoring of the Andes Amazon Program), Amazon Conservation.

Cuiabá, Brazil — August 6, 2026 — Illegal gold mining inside Juruena National Park, in the Brazilian Amazon state of Mato Grosso, increased dramatically over an eight-month period, with mining-related deforestation expanding by 660%, according to a new analysis released today by Amazon Conservation and the Instituto Centro de Vida (ICV).

The study also examined illegal mining in the neighboring Igarapés do Juruena State Park, where the area affected by mining-related deforestation increased by 408% during the study period.

Together, these protected areas form a critical conservation mosaic in the southern Brazilian Amazon, helping preserve biodiversity, maintain essential ecosystem services, and slow the advance of deforestation across the region.

However, the findings show that the rapid expansion of illegal mining is placing increasing pressure on these protected areas, threatening both their ecological integrity and the effectiveness of existing legal protection and enforcement mechanisms.

The analysis is based on mining deforestation alerts generated by MAAP (Monitoring of the Andes Amazon Program), an initiative of Amazon Conservation, using the interpretation of very high-resolution satellite imagery. These alerts were then combined with publicly available geospatial datasets, according to Vinícius Silgueiro, Coordinator of the Territorial Intelligence Center at ICV. “Mining deforestation alerts are validated using satellite imagery with an extremely high level of detail, allowing impacted areas to be accurately mapped and measured. These locations are then cross-referenced with environmental violation records and embargoes issued by IBAMA, ICMBio, and Mato Grosso’s State Environmental Secretariat (SEMA-MT), making it possible to identify where enforcement actions have taken place against illegal mining operations,” said Silgueiro.

Illegal mining deforestation continues to rise

In Juruena National Park, illegal mining activity is concentrated primarily in the park’s southwestern region. Between August 2025 and April 2026, the area deforested by illegal mining increased from 10.5 hectares to 79.5 hectares. The 660% increase in just eight months reflects an intense and rapid expansion of mining operations, including the use of heavy machinery, construction of access roads, and establishment of mining camps. A similar trend was observed in Igarapés do Juruena State Park, where illegal mining is concentrated in the central-southern portion of the protected area. Between June 2025 and March 2026, mining-related deforestation increased from 8.6 hectares to 43.7 hectares. These activities have severe environmental consequences, including forest loss, river sedimentation, increased sediment and organic matter loads in waterways, and the potential contamination of aquatic ecosystems by mercury, threatening biodiversity as well as the food security of local communities.

Repeated enforcement, continued expansion

The increase in illegal mining has not occurred unnoticed by public authorities. Data from Brazil’s Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) and the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) show that 15 enforcement operations targeting illegal mining have been conducted inside Juruena National Park since 2010.

Meanwhile, Mato Grosso’s State Environmental Secretariat (SEMA-MT) carried out enforcement actions related to environmental crimes in Igarapés do Juruena State Park in 2020, 2025, and 2026. “Satellite monitoring is already an essential tool in the fight against illegal gold mining. The next step is to connect these alerts with up-to-date information on mining concessions and protected area boundaries, strengthening authorities’ ability to respond and making enforcement actions even more effective,” said Matt Finer, Director of MAAP (Monitoring of the Andes Amazon Project) and Senior Research Specialist at Amazon Conservation.

Read the full report

https://www.maapprogram.org/illegal-mining-juruena-brazil/ 

Available in English and Portuguese.

Press contact: communications@amazonconservation.org

From April 21–24, leaders from across the Amazon gathered in Lima, Peru, for the first-ever summit of the Amazon Gold Alliance (AGA), a collaborative network working to address the environmental, social, and economic impacts of gold mining in the Amazon. The summit, hosted by Amazon Aid, brought together more than 50 representatives from civil society organizations, Indigenous communities, academia, government agencies, and the jewelry sector to identify shared strategies for confronting one of the region’s most urgent threats: illegal gold mining.

Illegal and informal gold mining continues to drive widespread deforestation, mercury contamination, biodiversity loss, and violence across the Amazon Basin. While responses to the crisis have often been fragmented, the AGA was created to foster collaboration across the entire gold value chain and build coordinated, long-term solutions.

To guide this effort, the Alliance is advancing five strategic initiatives focused on key dimensions of the gold mining crisis. These include the Illicit Mapping Initiative, which seeks to trace how illegal gold enters formal supply chains; the Market Activation Initiative, which promotes demand for responsibly sourced, mercury-free gold; the Pressure Campaign Initiative, aimed at increasing public awareness around the impacts of illegal mining; the Regional Coordination Initiative, which strengthens collaboration among Amazonian countries and institutions; and the Financial Integrity Initiative, designed to address illicit financial flows and improve transparency in the gold trade.

Representing Amazon Conservation, President John Beavers and Senior Manager for Combating Illegal Deforestation Andrés Santana participated in the summit where they presented one of the five strategic initiatives being advanced under the AGA framework, highlighting the importance of strengthening transparency and accountability in the gold sector. As part of the presentation, the team showcased Amazon Mining Watch, a platform that monitors mining activity and deforestation across the Amazon Basin, and announced the release of the Amazon Mining Policy Scoreboard, an assessment of national policies and governance related to gold mining in Amazonian countries. The session generated strong interest among participants and underscored the importance of integrating technology, policy analysis, and on-the-ground partnerships to combat illegal mining across the region.

Participants shared experiences from communities on the front lines of illegal mining. Discussions highlighted the growing impacts of mercury pollution in rivers, forest degradation, threats to Indigenous territories, and the increasing role of criminal networks linked to illicit gold extraction across the region.

As part of the summit, assistants traveled to the Madre de Dios region of the Peruvian Amazon, one of the areas most heavily impacted by gold mining. There, they witnessed firsthand the scale of forest destruction and water contamination caused by illegal mining operations. At the same time, the visit also highlighted examples of more responsible practices being implemented by some mining cooperatives, including mercury-free gold processing methods and ecological restoration efforts in previously mined areas. The field visit underscored both the complexity of the challenge and the need for solutions that combine environmental protection, responsible livelihoods, and regional cooperation.

By the end, connections had strengthened across sectors and contributed to shaping a roadmap for the next phase of the AGA’s five initiatives. The gathering created space not only for dialogue, but also for renewed commitments to collaborative action against illegal gold mining across the Amazon Basin.

Protecting the Amazon from the impacts of illegal mining requires coordinated responses that extend across borders, sectors, and supply chains. The first AGA summit marked an important step toward building those alliances and advancing shared solutions for the future of the region.

*Photo 1: Riverbeds after mining extraction along the Madre de Dios river, Peru. Photo: Andrés Santana / Amazon Conservation
*Photo 2: Mercury-free gold processing at one responsible mining cooperative in Madre de Dios, Peru. Photo: Andrés Santana / Amazon Conservation

Working with communities and partners to protect millions of acres of forest and build long-term conservation solutions across the Amazon.

To close out our Earth Month series, where we’ve been sharing stories of impact showing the Power of Collective Action: Mobilizing Conservation at Scale Across the Amazon, we turn to what has made this work possible over time: collaboration across borders, organizations, and people. For over 25 years with our sister organization Conservación Amazónica-ACCA in Peru and 15 years with Conservación Amazónica-ACEAA in Bolivia, we’ve seen how working as an alliance strengthens impact and extends it further across the Amazon. Together we work with more than 20 local partners across the region and have helped protect over 14.6 million acres of forest, showing that conservation at scale is built through long-term relationships, shared knowledge, and mutual trust.

With local roots on the ground, the Alliance bridges local, regional, and international work through knowledge exchange and strategic partnerships that amplify and elevate the importance of the Amazon Rainforest.

In the Peruvian Amazon, Indigenous leaders are adding drones to improve the safety and efficiency of their forest protection efforts. Representatives from the Native Federation of the Madre de Dios River and Tributaries (FENAMAD) and leaders of the Indigenous Council of the Lower Madre de Dios (COINBAMAD) took part in a hands-on training in drone technology last year that was organized by Conservación Amazónica-ACCA with support from partners. The workshop focused on safely operating and applying these tools to monitor their territories and safeguard their forest homes.

By combining ancestral knowledge with technology, communities are strengthening their ability to detect threats such as illegal logging, mining, and deforestation while reducing the risks of direct confrontation with illegal actors. Beyond technical skills, these efforts reinforce autonomy and long-term capacity for Indigenous-led conservation.

“Putting science and technology to work is a central pillar of our conservation work,” said John Beavers, President of Amazon Conservation. “Being able to share and exchange this technology with communities that need it to safely protect their resources and rights is essential.”

This kind of long-term investment in people and capacity is also what makes larger conservation milestones possible over time.

In Bolivia, this approach contributed to a major achievement: the creation of the Río Negro Forest for Integrated Management and Ecotourism in the last quarter of 2025, a new protected area spanning more than 209,000 hectares. As part of Bolivia’s National System of Protected Areas, the Río Negro Forest will be managed through a management plan, zoning system, and strategic agenda aimed at ensuring the long-term conservation and sustainable use of its natural resources.

.         

This initiative promotes food security, sustainable economic opportunities, and a balanced relationship between people and nature. It stands as a forward-looking model for conservation, reaffirming Nueva Esperanza’s and its allies’ commitment to protecting the natural and cultural richness of the Amazon for generations to come.

Its creation is a reminder that protected areas don’t happen overnight. They are the result of sustained partnerships, community leadership, and a long-term commitment to conservation.

Across the Amazon, efforts like these continue to shape what long-term conservation looks like in practice. Protected areas and Indigenous territories remain among the most effective ways to reduce deforestation, sustain biodiversity, and support climate stability, but they are built over time through sustained collaboration, mutual trust, and shared commitment.

As these examples show, conservation at scale is not the result of a single action, but of many connected efforts working together across landscapes and borders. From community-led monitoring in Peru to the creation of new protected areas in Bolivia, each step contributes to a broader vision of a thriving Amazon.

Reaching 14.6 million acres of protected areas as an alliance is a milestone worth recognizing and also part of an ongoing process. Together with our partners, supporters, and communities across the region, we continue to build on this foundation, expanding what is possible for forests and for the people who depend on them.

Learn more about the creation of the Río Negro protected area. 
Learn more about community-led drone monitoring in Peru. 

There is still time to be part of this collective effort! This Earth Month, we invite you to join us and become part of a growing community committed to protecting the Amazon. As a special thank you, new and current monthly donors in the US and Canada will receive our exclusive 18-month calendar, created to celebrate the beauty and resilience of the Amazon throughout the year. Click below to learn more.

This Earth Month, we invite you to be part of something bigger. 

Together, we have the power to protect the Amazon, and our planet.

Driving Down Illegal Deforestation in the Amazon

Illegal deforestation in the Amazon often moves faster than governments can respond, especially in remote Indigenous territories affected by illegal gold mining. Over the past five years, Amazon Conservation’s Technology Meets Policy initiative worked to close that gap by linking real-time monitoring with coordinated enforcement and stronger governance. Indigenous leadership and strengthening of local partners through technology transfer were central to this effort, because ancestral and territorial knowledge is often what transforms data into real protection on the ground.

As we continue sharing stories throughout Earth Month, we highlight these partnerships. When cutting-edge tools meet strong collaboration, data becomes more than information, it becomes a driver of real change. This is where the power of collective action comes to life, connecting science, partners, and communities to protect the Amazon at scale.

The results are measurable and reflected in concrete enforcement actions. Illegal deforestation dropped significantly across Indigenous territories supported by the project. In Peru, deforestation fell 43% across FENAMAD beneficiary communities compared to 2020 levels. In Ecuador, deforestation also declined in Waorani and Shuar Arutam territories over the same period. These gains reflect improved detection and stronger coordination among Indigenous leaders, civil society organizations, and government authorities responding to illegal mining and other drivers of forest loss.

Closing the gap between detection and enforcement

Illegal mining and forest clearing can expand quickly, while investigations, coordination, and legal processes often lag behind. This project addressed these challenges by connecting Amazon Conservation’s MAAP (Monitoring of the Andes Amazon Program), which delivers high-resolution, timely satellite analysis, with strengthened Indigenous territorial monitoring, legal collaboration, and improved government coordination.

Satellite alerts did not remain data points. Community monitors translated them into documented evidence, supported through legal channels, and shared through confidential intelligence reports with environmental agencies, prosecutors, and police. In Peru, the project strengthened and helped decentralize the National System of Monitoring and Control, an inter-institutional mechanism that supports faster coordination among environmental, prosecutorial, police, and other authorities to respond to forest crime. In Ecuador, Fundación EcoCiencia now leads 100% of MAAP’s real-time monitoring nationally, reinforcing independent civil society leadership and sustained collaboration with public institutions.

Through sustained collaboration, technical exchange, and joint analysis, local partners deepened their ability to interpret satellite data, document cases, navigate legal pathways, and engage directly with public authorities. In Peru, this included close coordination with FENAMAD to reinforce Indigenous leadership in territorial defense. In Ecuador, collaboration with Fundación EcoCiencia helped institutionalize an independent national monitoring capacity. Together, these efforts strengthened governance systems that can respond to forest crime over time.

From satellite image to government response

By linking monitoring to action, MAAP analysis supported concrete enforcement efforts, including, for example, Ecuador’s Operation Manatí III in 2023, which covered 8,500 acres (about 3,500 hectares) and resulted in the seizure of excavators and mining equipment. In Peru, timely confidential reports and Indigenous-led monitoring supported investigations and government operations in high-risk areas affected by illegal gold mining.

For communities facing invasions into their territories, satellite imagery, photos, and field documentation strengthen legal pathways and reinforce safeguards for environmental defenders operating under increasing pressure. As Julio Cusurichi Palacios, Indigenous leader from the Peruvian Amazon and former president of FENAMAD, explains, “The information is very important because in one way or another it supports what one can make known. If there is an invasion in a community’s territory, it can be relayed by phone, but it is much better when there is photographic or video evidence.”

The project also contributed to policy progress. In 2025, Ecuador advanced its Organic Law to Strengthen Protected Areas, reinforcing the legal framework governing protected areas. Across both countries, Indigenous organizations, civil society partners, and public authorities worked to ensure that monitoring insights could move through institutional channels and prompt timely responses.

What comes next

The results show that technology alone does not reduce illegal deforestation. Impact comes when timely data is paired with Indigenous leadership, coordinated civil society engagement, and institutions prepared to respond.

Building on this five-year foundation, supported by the Norwegian government through Norad and its International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI), and as MAAP marks its 10th anniversary, Amazon Conservation is now scaling this approach, with our Norwegian partners continuing to support the next phase of this work.

In addition to continuing efforts in Peru and Ecuador, the expansion now includes Bolivia, strengthening Indigenous and civil society leadership while broadening coordinated monitoring and enforcement across priority regions of the Amazon. Timely detection of mining-driven deforestation, together with Amazon Mining Watch, a new AI-based monitoring platform that tracks mining-related deforestation across the Amazon, will further reinforce basin-wide efforts to address forest crime.

For Indigenous peoples and local communities, this work is about rights, safety, and the ability to defend territories for future generations. As Marco Martinez, Territorial Executive of the Shuar Arutam Indigenous Community of Ecuador, put it: “The Shuar Arutam will always fight because that is our right. To those who want to silence our voice, behind me stand other generations, our children’s children, and all the Indigenous peoples of the world who will continue fighting against those who threaten our communities.”

Working alongside Conservación Amazónica ACCA in Peru, Fundación EcoCiencia in Ecuador, and the Federación Nativa del Río Madre de Dios y Afluentes FENAMAD, this collaboration strengthened regional coordination to turn monitoring into action. With continued support from the Norwegian government’s International Climate and Forest Initiative NICFI, the initiative is now expanding to Bolivia through Conservación Amazónica ACEAA.

Regional partners:
           

Supported by:

Implemented by:

This Earth Month, we invite you to be part of something bigger. 

Together, we have the power to protect the Amazon, and our planet.

How Amazon Conservation and the Pulitzer Center are using Amazon Mining Watch to track illegal gold mining and make data accessible for journalists

Protecting the Amazon Rainforest at scale goes beyond compiling data. It requires collaboration across borders, organizations, policymakers, people, and diverse audiences, especially with those who help bring critical issues into the public eye.

As part of our Earth Month campaign, The Power of Collective Action: Mobilizing Conservation at Scale Across the Amazon, we are highlighting how partnerships help turn knowledge into action. One example is our collaboration with the Pulitzer Center, a U.S.-based news media organization that raises awareness about underreported global issues and sponsors independent reporting. Together, we are working to ensure that timely, high-quality information about illegal gold mining reaches journalists, decision-makers, and the public in order to help drive awareness, accountability, and action across the region.

“Partnerships like this expand our work as a trusted source of scientific data and resources, helping ensure that journalists have access to reliable and timely information to inform their reporting,” said Priscila Steffen, Communications and Public Relations Manager at Amazon Conservation.

The recent launch of the Amazon Mining Watch’s Panorama reporting series marks a major step forward in making complex data more accessible and actionable. The inaugural report covering October through December 2025 revealed that in just these three months, approximately 6,000 hectares (14,000 acres) of forest were lost to gold mining across the Amazon, a stark reminder of the speed and scale of this growing threat. But data alone does not create change. Through our partnership with the Pulitzer Center, this information is being translated into stories that reach global audiences and bring local realities to international attention. By combining satellite-based monitoring with data-driven and investigative journalism, we are expanding public awareness of illegal mining as a transboundary issue that affects ecosystems, Indigenous territories, and communities across the entire Amazon Basin.

“At the Pulitzer Center, we believe in inspiring action to protect the Amazon Rainforest through collaborative, breakthrough journalism that goes beyond the headlines. We leverage powerful tools, such as Amazon Mining Watch, to transform data into stories that empower communities, promote transparency, and foster stronger governance and collaboration among stakeholders,” shared Jonatan Rodriguez, Program Manager for Latin America at the Pulitzer Center.

A key pillar of this collaboration is equipping journalists with the tools and knowledge needed to investigate and report on illegal mining. The Pulitzer Center is supporting journalists in learning how to use the Amazon Mining Watch platform to identify leads, investigate trends, and uncover stories that might otherwise remain hidden. This approach strengthens not only individual reporting, but also the broader ecosystem of environmental journalism to enable consistent, data-driven coverage of illegal gold mining, one of the Amazon’s most urgent challenges.

This collaboration also extends beyond reporting by individual journalists and media outlets. During a recent regional meeting in Colombia organized by Amazon Conservation and our partners on our Combating Illegal Mining project and thanks to support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Pulitzer Center shared tools for and approaches to collaborative journalism with partners from across the Amazon.

These resources, including a guide on cross-border reporting and “journalistic symbiosis,” are designed to help journalists collaborate more effectively, with civil society sharing data, insights, and narratives that reflect the interconnected nature of the Amazon Rainforest, while also encouraging forward-thinking journalism and projects with extended impact to help protect this vital ecosystem. 

This close partnership is key to amplifying the impact of collective action through Amazon Mining Watch. By bringing together scientists, technical experts, and journalists, we are not only improving how information is generated, but also how it is shared, understood, and used. Protecting the Amazon at scale depends on making the invisible visible and on working together to turn knowledge into action. 

About Amazon Mining Watch
Developed through a partnership between Amazon Conservation, Earth Genome, and the Pulitzer Center, the Amazon Mining Watch platform aims to strengthen transparency and help decision-makers respond more effectively to illegal gold mining, one of the Amazon’s fastest-growing drivers of deforestation, as well as to help international media report on the escalating threats to nature, people, and wildlife.

This Earth Month, we invite you to be part of something bigger. 

Together, we have the power to protect the Amazon, and our planet.

Mobilizing Conservation at Scale Across the Amazon

Thank you for celebrating Earth Month with us this year!

This April, Amazon Conservation and our supporters are celebrating the power we all hold to protect our planet: together. Inspired by Earth Day 2026’s theme, Our Power, Our Planet, we are reminded of a fundamental truth: lasting environmental progress is driven not by any single moment or decision, but by the everyday actions of communities, partners, and people working collectively to protect our planet and the places they call home.

This year’s theme resonates with us so deeply because at Amazon Conservation, we believe that the most effective solutions are built together. From Indigenous communities stewarding their ancestral lands to scientists advancing new tools for conservation and partners collaborating across borders, each plays a vital role in protecting the Amazon.

The Amazon Rainforest is vast, complex, and essential to life on Earth. It is home to unparalleled biodiversity and cultural richness, while also serving as a critical regulator of the global climate. Protecting it requires action at a scale that matches its importance, and that kind of impact is only possible through collaboration.

 

Get Involved: Join the Movement

Collective action requires all of us to work together toward our common objective: a thriving Amazon Rainforest and a healthy planet Earth.

Here are 6 quick and easy ways you can get involved in our conservation efforts:

Sign up for a monthly gift of $10 or more this April* for a special bonus gift: an 18‑month wall calendar with breathtaking photos of the incredible landscape where we work! (Note: signing up in April serves as a pre‑order; calendars will be mailed out in June. This offer is for new and existing monthly donors whose gifts are active at time of shipping. Design pictured is for promotional purposes; final calendar may vary. Shipping is limited to the United States and Canada.)

1. Make a Gift
   

   The quickest, easiest, and perhaps most impactful way to show your support this Earth Month is to make a gift to Amazon Conservation. Click here to make a gift through our secure online platform. Consider signing up for monthly giving for a special gift (more details below)! For more inspiration on how you can get involved with Amazon Conservation, see our Ways to Give webpage.

   Plus, all of our donors will receive access to the recording of our exclusive Earth Month webinar that took place on April 16! Make a donation today to watch the webinar where we shared behind-the-scenes updates from our team and partners.

2. Become a Wild Keeper and Get a Free Gift

   We hope you’ll consider joining our global community of sustaining donors who commit to the Amazon with impact that is consistent, easy, and manageable through automated month gifts. Sign up for a monthly gift of $10 or more this April* for a special bonus gift: an 18-month wall calendar with breathtaking photos of the incredible landscape where we work!
   *Please note: You must provide a mailing address when you sign up to take advantage of this limited-time offer. Signing up in April serves as a pre-order; calendars will be mailed out in June. This offer is for new and existing monthly donors whose gifts are active at time of shipping. Shipping is limited to the United States and Canada.

3. Start Your Own Earth Month Fundraiser
   

   Harness the power of your community by getting your family and friends to join together for this cause. We can do more together than we can alone. Creating your personalized, shareable online fundraiser takes just a few clicks!

4. Explore a Business Partnership
   

   Connect your employees and align your company with impactful conservation by supporting our work through in-kind or financial support, event sponsorship, and more. We would love to chat with you and tailor a custom sponsorship package that match your business’s specific goals.

5. Follow Along on Social Media (Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn)

   Connect with us to stay up to date on our work and on the situation on the ground in the Amazon. Throughout Earth Month, we will be sharing meaningful stories about the impact of our partnerships and collaboration on protecting the Amazon and empowering communities. Interact with and reshare our content to help spread our message. You an also tag us in a post about why you’re passionate about protecting the Amazon and why raising awareness about this incredible rainforest is important to you!

6. Make Amazon Conservation a Part of Your Legacy

   One of the most meaningful ways to protect the Amazon for generations to come is by including Amazon Conservation in your estate plans. Through our partnership with FreeWill, you can create a will for free in just 20 minutes and easily designate a gift that reflects your values. Legacy gifts ensure that your commitment to conservation continues far into the future, safeguarding forests, wildlife, and communities. Learn more and start your free will today to make a lasting impact.

This Earth Month, we invite you to be part of something bigger. 

Together, we have the power to protect the Amazon, and our planet.

New publication highlights rapid expansion of mining-related deforestation across the Amazon
countries and provides timely insights to support enforcement and accountability

Washington, DC, March 11, 2026 — Amazon Mining Watch today released the inaugural edition of the Amazon Mining Watch Panorama, a new report series that will provide timely insights into the growing impacts of gold mining across the Amazon Rainforest. Drawing on AI-powered detection of mining scars from the Amazon Mining Watch platform, the series offers a basin-wide snapshot of mining-driven deforestation and emerging threats to protected areas and Indigenous territories as a tool to support informed decision-making on needed action.

The first edition of the Panorama, covering October–December 2025, confirms the continued expansion of gold mining across all nine Amazonian countries. In the last  quarter alone, the report estimates approximately 6,000 hectares (over 14,000 acres) of new mining-related deforestation across the Amazon, highlighting the scale and urgency of the crisis facing the world’s largest tropical forest. That’s an area equivalent to about seven times the size of Central Park in New York City.

Brazil registered the largest expansion in mining activity during the quarter, accounting for roughly 2,000 hectares/ 5,000 acres of new deforestation, followed by Peru (1,700 hectares/ 4200 acres) and Guyana (900 hectares/ 2000 acres). Additional expansion was detected in Venezuela, Suriname, Bolivia, Ecuador, and French Guiana, underscoring the transboundary nature of mining-driven forest loss across the Amazon Basin.

“Illegal gold mining continues to spread across the Amazon, threatening biodiversity, Indigenous territories, and critical ecosystems,” said Andrés Santana, Senior Manager for Halting Illegal Deforestation at Amazon Conservation. “With the Amazon Mining Watch Panorama series, we are providing governments, journalists, and civil society with a regular, data-driven snapshot of where mining is expanding and where urgent action is needed.”

New Mining Incursions and Renewed Pressure on Protected Areas

The report identifies several new incursions into areas that previously showed no evidence of mining, including Indigenous territories such as Territorio Charip in Ecuador, where satellite analysis detected the first mining scar recorded in the area. It also highlights cases where mining activity has resurged after periods of inactivity, suggesting renewed pressure following earlier enforcement actions. For example, new mining scars were detected in Igarapés do Juruena State Park in Brazil and in Indigenous territories in Ecuador and Guyana during the last quarter. Meanwhile, several protected areas and Indigenous territories continue to experience persistent and accelerating mining deforestation, including Tambopata National Reserve in Peru, where more than 200 hectares of new mining expansion were detected during the quarter.

“These findings show that illegal gold mining remains one of the most pervasive threats to the Amazon,” said Blaise Bodin, Director of Strategy and Policy at Amazon Conservation. “Regular monitoring and transparent reporting are essential to understand where this activity is expanding and to strengthen enforcement across borders.”

Reserva Ecológica Cofán Bermejo / Provincia de Sucumbíos, Ecuador. Photo: Fundación EcoCiencia.

The Amazon Mining Watch Panorama synthesizes the latest monitoring data and highlights key trends, new incursions, and hotspots of persistent mining expansion to support accountability and inform policy responses across the region. It highlights the results provided by the Amazon Mining Watch platform, an AI-powered monitoring system that detects gold-mining deforestation across the entire Amazon Basin.

Get access to the full report: https://amazonminingwatchpanorama.org/

About Amazon Mining Watch
Developed through a partnership between Amazon Conservation, Earth Genome, and the Pulitzer Center,
Amazon Mining Watch platform aims to strengthen transparency and help decision-makers respond more
effectively to one of the Amazon’s fastest-growing drivers of deforestation, as well as to help the media
report on escalating threats to nature, people, and wildlife.

About Amazon Conservation Association
Amazon Conservation is an international conservation nonprofit working for the past 25 years toward
building a thriving Amazon. The organization’s holistic approach focuses on working with local partners
and allies to protect wild places, empower people, and put science and technology to work for
conservation. Visit amazonconservation.org for more information.

Press Contacts
Priscila Steffen, Communications & Public Relations Manager: psteffen@amazonconservation.org
Ana Folhadella, Philanthropy and Communications Director: afolhadella@amazonconservation.org

Mining footprint doubles in four years, raising alarms over growing pressure on southern-Ecuadorian Amazon forests

Article by Fundación EcoCiencia

Quito, February 23, 2026 – A new report from the Amazon Conservation’s MAAP (Monitoring of the Andes Amazon Project) monitoring initiative documents for the first time in detail the expansion of gold mining in the southern-Ecuadorian Amazon, with a focus on the province of Morona Santiago. The analysis complements previous MAAP reports focused on northern and central Ecuador, expanding the understanding of a growing trend that threatens forests, territories, and livelihoods across the Amazon region.

Mining activity in Morona Santiago, located in the southern Ecuadorian Amazon, has grown rapidly over the past four years. According to the latest analysis, based on data from Fundación EcoCiencia and Amazon Conservation, the area affected by mining nearly doubled between 2020 and 2024, revealing sustained expansion across Amazonian territories of high ecological importance.

In 2020, mining covered approximately 420 hectares of the province. By 2024, that figure had increased to 856 hectares, representing a 100% increase in just four years. These findings confirm the progressive advance of the mining frontier, with direct impacts on forest cover and Amazonian ecosystems.

The scale of this expansion is significant: the 856 hectares affected are roughly equivalent to 2,000 professional soccer fields.

An analysis of cumulative deforestation by year shows steady growth in the area impacted, with no clear signs of slowing during the period analyzed (2020–2024). This trend raises concerns about increasing pressure on primary forests, freshwater sources, and territories inhabited by local and Indigenous communities.

The study forms part of a broader series of investigations using the digital platform Amazon Mining Watch, developed by Amazon Conservation with support from Earth Genome and the Pulitzer Center. The platform uses artificial intelligence to analyze satellite imagery and automatically identify and map areas affected by mining across the Amazon since 2018. Quarterly updates allow researchers to detect new extraction fronts in near-real-time.

Despite increased monitoring efforts, this report shows that gold mining continues to advance into Amazonian forest areas, directly affecting primary forest ecosystems. While full cartographic details are available in the technical report, the analysis confirms that several Indigenous territories overlap with the areas studied, heightening concerns about potential cultural, social, and environmental impacts.

Morona Santiago is among the Ecuadorian provinces with a significant mining presence, where artisanal, small-scale, and large-scale mining activities have increased pressure on local ecosystems. Previous regional monitoring had already identified hundreds of hectares undergoing mining activity in the province in recent years.

Conservation experts and local organizations warn that this expansion not only leads to forest loss, but also contamination of rivers and streams, disruption of ecosystem services, and violations of the collective rights of Indigenous peoples who inhabit these territories.

Access the full report:
https://www.maapprogram.org/es/ecuador-vias-achuar/

About MAAP

The Monitoring of the Andes Amazon Program (MAAP) is an initiative of Amazon Conservation, working with regional partners including Conservación Amazónica – ACCA (Peru) and Conservación Amazónica – ACEAA (Bolivia), with generous support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. This report was developed in partnership with Fundación EcoCiencia (Ecuador). Through satellite technology and scientific analysis, MAAP provides key information to help combat deforestation, illegal mining, and other threats across the Amazon.

Driving Down Illegal Deforestation in the Amazon

Illegal deforestation in the Amazon often moves faster than governments can respond, especially in remote Indigenous territories affected by illegal gold mining. Over the past five years, Amazon Conservation’s Technology Meets Policy initiative worked to close that gap by linking real-time monitoring with coordinated enforcement and stronger governance. Indigenous leadership and strengthening of local partners through technology transfer were central to this effort, because ancestral and territorial knowledge is often what transforms data into real protection on the ground.

The results are measurable and reflected in concrete enforcement actions. Illegal deforestation dropped significantly across Indigenous territories supported by the project. In Peru, deforestation fell 43% across FENAMAD beneficiary communities compared to 2020 levels. In Ecuador, deforestation also declined in Waorani and Shuar Arutam territories over the same period. These gains reflect improved detection and stronger coordination among Indigenous leaders, civil society organizations, and government authorities responding to illegal mining and other drivers of forest loss.

Closing the gap between detection and enforcement

Illegal mining and forest clearing can expand quickly, while investigations, coordination, and legal processes often lag behind. This project addressed these challenges by connecting Amazon Conservation’s MAAP (Monitoring of the Andes Amazon Program), which delivers high-resolution, timely satellite analysis, with strengthened Indigenous territorial monitoring, legal collaboration, and improved government coordination.

Satellite alerts did not remain data points. Community monitors translated them into documented evidence, supported through legal channels, and shared through confidential intelligence reports with environmental agencies, prosecutors, and police. In Peru, the project strengthened and helped decentralize the National System of Monitoring and Control, an inter-institutional mechanism that supports faster coordination among environmental, prosecutorial, police, and other authorities to respond to forest crime. In Ecuador, Fundación EcoCiencia now leads 100% of MAAP’s real-time monitoring nationally, reinforcing independent civil society leadership and sustained collaboration with public institutions.

Through sustained collaboration, technical exchange, and joint analysis, local partners deepened their ability to interpret satellite data, document cases, navigate legal pathways, and engage directly with public authorities. In Peru, this included close coordination with FENAMAD to reinforce Indigenous leadership in territorial defense. In Ecuador, collaboration with Fundación EcoCiencia helped institutionalize an independent national monitoring capacity. Together, these efforts strengthened governance systems that can respond to forest crime over time.

From satellite image to government response

By linking monitoring to action, MAAP analysis supported concrete enforcement efforts, including, for example, Ecuador’s Operation Manatí III in 2023, which covered 8,500 acres (about 3,500 hectares) and resulted in the seizure of excavators and mining equipment. In Peru, timely confidential reports and Indigenous-led monitoring supported investigations and government operations in high-risk areas affected by illegal gold mining.

For communities facing invasions into their territories, satellite imagery, photos, and field documentation strengthen legal pathways and reinforce safeguards for environmental defenders operating under increasing pressure. As Julio Cusurichi Palacios, Indigenous leader from the Peruvian Amazon and former president of FENAMAD, explains, “The information is very important because in one way or another it supports what one can make known. If there is an invasion in a community’s territory, it can be relayed by phone, but it is much better when there is photographic or video evidence.”

The project also contributed to policy progress. In 2025, Ecuador advanced its Organic Law to Strengthen Protected Areas, reinforcing the legal framework governing protected areas. Across both countries, Indigenous organizations, civil society partners, and public authorities worked to ensure that monitoring insights could move through institutional channels and prompt timely responses.

What comes next

The results show that technology alone does not reduce illegal deforestation. Impact comes when timely data is paired with Indigenous leadership, coordinated civil society engagement, and institutions prepared to respond.

Building on this five-year foundation, supported by the Norwegian government through Norad and its International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI), and as MAAP marks its 10th anniversary, Amazon Conservation is now scaling this approach, with our Norwegian partners continuing to support the next phase of this work.

In addition to continuing efforts in Peru and Ecuador, the expansion now includes Bolivia, strengthening Indigenous and civil society leadership while broadening coordinated monitoring and enforcement across priority regions of the Amazon. Timely detection of mining-driven deforestation, together with Amazon Mining Watch, a new AI-based monitoring platform that tracks mining-related deforestation across the Amazon, will further reinforce basin-wide efforts to address forest crime.

For Indigenous peoples and local communities, this work is about rights, safety, and the ability to defend territories for future generations. As Marco Martinez, Territorial Executive of the Shuar Arutam Indigenous Community of Ecuador, put it: “The Shuar Arutam will always fight because that is our right. To those who want to silence our voice, behind me stand other generations, our children’s children, and all the Indigenous peoples of the world who will continue fighting against those who threaten our communities.”

Working alongside Conservación Amazónica ACCA in Peru, Fundación EcoCiencia in Ecuador, and the Federación Nativa del Río Madre de Dios y Afluentes FENAMAD, this collaboration strengthened regional coordination to turn monitoring into action. With continued support from the Norwegian government’s International Climate and Forest Initiative NICFI, the initiative is now expanding to Bolivia through Conservación Amazónica ACEAA.

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Illegal gold mining continues to grow exponentially across the Amazon Basin, crossing the borders of the nine countries it encompasses, and causing far-reaching environmental and social impacts everywhere it reaches. 

“Gold mining has become a transnational activity that affects the Amazon at scale,” said Andrés Santana, Senior Manager for Combating Illegal Deforestation at Amazon Conservation. “Addressing it effectively requires coordinated action between local organizations, Indigenous leaders, scientific institutions, and governments that goes beyond national borders.”

With this shared understanding, Amazon Conservation hosted a high-impact forum in Bogotá, Colombia, with representatives from our network of local partners to strengthen regional coordination to combat illegal gold mining through science, collaboration, and collective action.

From January 28 to 30, technology, policy, and communications experts from seven Amazonian countries had the rare opportunity to share experiences, learn from one another, and advance a shared approach to address Amazon-wide gold mining deforestation, grounded in common methodologies and lessons learned.

Building on Amazon Conservation’s efforts to date to halt deforestation, our team highlighted the tools and advances that are driving progress, including Amazon Mining Watch, a new AI-based monitoring platform created jointly with Earth Genome and the Pulitzer Center, and stronger ongoing analysis from the satellite monitoring experts at our Monitoring of the Andes Amazon Program (MAAP). 

Representatives from our partners Conservación Amazónica-ACCA, Conservación Amazónica-ACEAA, Amazon Conservation Team, Conservation Strategy Fund, Federación Nativa del Río Madre de Dios y Afluentes (FENAMAD), Fundación EcoCiencia, Fundación para la Conservación y el Desarrollo Sostenible (FCDS), Instituto Centro de Vida (ICV), and Instituto Socioambiental (ISA) shared monitoring innovations in each country and how they are converting data into action on the ground.

For Fundación EcoCiencia, the forum reinforced why collaboration across the entire Amazon is essential. “We can’t address these threats in isolation,” said Jorge Villa, MAAP Coordinator at Fundación EcoCiencia. “Working together at an Amazon-wide level allows us to learn from what has worked and what has not, and to better engage governments across countries to combat illegal mining more effectively.”

Sessions at a glance

The technical and policy sessions were focused on strengthening regional responses to illegal gold mining across the Amazon. Topics included real-time monitoring with Amazon Mining Watch and MAAP, the use of mining impact assessment tools, coordination protocols with government 

authorities, Indigenous and civil society-led monitoring experiences, country-level responses to illegal mining, and comparative analysis of mining policies across the Amazon basin, including emerging trends in Suriname and Guyana.

The event also included a dedicated communication and advocacy session focused on strengthening the translation of scientific analyses into awareness, education, and activism to drive greater policy and field action. Representatives from the Pulitzer Center and the Foundation for Conservation and Sustainable Development (FCDS) shared successful case studies to showcase the role of investigative journalism, strategic storytelling, and data-driven narratives to inform public opinion and influence decision-making. Building on each other’s experience, participants took vital steps to develop a common communication strategy to support coordinated advocacy and policy efforts at national and pan-Amazonian scales. By bringing together fellow civil society organizations, Indigenous leaders, and technical experts, the forum marked an important step toward deeper regional collaboration to combat illegal gold mining and protect the Amazon.

This forum was made possible by generous support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.