Flying rivers that sustain forests, agriculture, and water security across the Amazon are increasingly at risk from deforestation and infrastructure expansion.

The white paper, Keeping the Flying Rivers Flowing: How Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon Threatens Rainfall in Peru and Bolivia, released by Amazon Conservation, maps for the first time the flying rivers that span the South American continent and their role in keeping the Amazon Rainforest’s tipping point at bay.

Flying rivers are seasonal pathways of atmospheric moisture flows that act like highways carrying water in the atmosphere, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Andes Mountains and providing vital water resources to the nine countries that form the Amazon Basin. The analysis goes beyond simply identifying the invisible flying rivers’ trajectory to pinpoint the forests most critical to maintaining this system and the areas where deforestation and planned infrastructure projects pose the greatest risks to these pathways.

The report finds that forests and ecosystems in the southwestern Amazon in Bolivia and Peru depend on flying rivers for more than 70% of their annual precipitation. As deforestation advances along these moisture pathways, the forest’s ability to recycle rainfall weakens, increasing the likelihood of drought and ecosystem collapse. The study highlights the dry season flying river as the most vulnerable moisture flow in the Amazon. These findings come after the severe 2023–2024 Amazon drought, the most intense on record, which caused devastating impacts across the region. In Bolivia, soy production in Santa Cruz dropped by 75%, while potato harvests in Peru’s Puno region fell dramatically. River systems, hydropower generation, and bioeconomies dependent on healthy forests, such as Brazil nut production, were also severely affected.. 

“Flying rivers are the invisible engine that sustains life, productive ecosystems, and identity in northern Bolivia. In the department of Pando, where the forest cover still maintains high levels of integrity, this climatic phenomenon is not an abstract concept; it is the direct regulator of the productive cycles of local communities that depend on the fruits produced by their forests,” states Daniel Larrea, Director of Science and Technology at Conservación Amazónica-ACEAA.

Another one of the report’s key findings is the strategic importance of conserving forests in western Brazil, particularly in the state of Acre, where all three seasonal flying river pathways converge before carrying atmospheric moisture toward Peru and Bolivia. This critical corridor acts as a bottleneck for the Amazon’s water cycle, making it especially vulnerable to disruptions caused by deforestation and infrastructure expansion. The pathway already crosses heavily deforested regions across Brazil, including southern Pará, and faces mounting pressure from planned road and infrastructure projects connecting Brazil and Peru. Among the most concerning examples is the BR-319 highway, whose paving could trigger more than 12 million acres of additional deforestation and significantly weaken the forest’s capacity to recycle rainfall across the Amazon Basin.

“These communities have no representation in the infrastructure licensing or land designation decisions that increase deforestation risk. The paper advocates for closing this gap between transboundary impact and national-scale decision making,” states Blaise Bodin, Director of Strategy and Policy at Amazon Conservation. 

Mapping strategic areas where prioritized conservation is needed

To address the growing threats to flying rivers, the report introduces the concept of Critical Moisture Territories: forests at high risk of deforestation that play a vital role in moisture recycling and keeping the flying rivers flowing. Many of the Amazon’s most important Critical Moisture Territories coincide with Brazil’s Undesignated Public Forests (UPFs) or Florestas Públicas Não Destinadas (FPND), making them among the most strategically important areas for prioritized conservation efforts to maintain the flying rivers system. Nearly more than 12 million acres of public Amazon forest currently lack formal legal protection, and many lie directly within key flying rivers paths, leaving these critical atmospheric corridors highly vulnerable to disruption by the impacts of deforestation driven by logging, land grabbing, mining, fires, and other human-caused activities. According to the report, formally protecting these forests could be one of the most effective ways to safeguard the Amazon’s atmospheric water cycle and reduce the risk of widespread regional drought.

Among the report’s six recommendations is the call to move beyond reactive law enforcement and adopt coordinated Amazon-wide policies that recognize Brazil’s critical role in sustaining the flying rivers across the continent and increase conservation efforts and investments in the most vulnerable areas in Bolivia and Peru. The report also highlights the need for forest restoration, climate adaptation strategies, and stronger science and technology to guide conservation decisions.

“At a country level, we need to double down on science to understand exactly how biodiversity is responding to climate change, both higher temperatures and a reduction in rainfall carried by flying rivers. In parallel, we must maintain and expand the forested connection between the slopes of the Andes and the Amazonian lowlands, creating and conserving these key climate corridors,” states Dr. Corine Vriesendorp, Director of Science at Conservación Amazónica-ACCA in Perú. 

A foreword by renowned Brazilian scientist Carlos Nobre, whose groundbreaking work with American biologist Thomas Lovejoy helped shape the global understanding of the Amazon tipping point, speaks to how decision-makers can use this analysis in policies and action: “This white paper by Amazon Conservation represents an important and timely contribution to this body of knowledge. By identifying the forests most critical to maintaining atmospheric moisture transport, it offers a practical pathway from science to action. The window to act is still open, but it is narrowing. Strengthening the resilience of flying rivers through science-backed, prioritized conservation actions is a vital step in the right direction. This white paper offers a valuable, actionable guide to doing so.” 

The report was developed by Amazon Conservation in collaboration with researchers and partner institutions across the Amazon Basin, including the Institut des Géosciences de l’Environnement (IGE), Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, IPAM, FAS (Fundação Amazônia Sustentável), Conservación Amazónica–ACCA, and Conservación Amazónica–ACEAA.

Read the white paper: https://www.amazonconservation.org/publication/ 

Illegal mining–driven deforestation reached its peak in 2022, when roughly 1,800 hectares were cleared. In 2025, monitoring still identified an additional 45.2 hectares of new forest loss.

 Deforestation driven by illegal mining in the Yanomami Indigenous Territory has dropped sharply over the past three years, following a surge in 2021 and 2022. That’s the conclusion of a new report released this Friday (May 22) by the Instituto Socioambiental (ISA), in partnership with MAAP (Monitoring of the Andes Amazon Program), an initiative of the Amazon Conservation Association.

According to the report, satellite mapping suggests that invaders have changed the way they operate in response to increased enforcement, adopting more decentralized tactics and moving toward areas closer to the Venezuelan border. These findings are reinforced by complaints recorded in the Yanomami Indigenous Territory Alert System, which show that both aerial and river‑based incursions continue.

According to the report, the Yanomami Indigenous Territory has accumulated 5,564 hectares of land degraded by illegal mining. The material produced by ISA and the Amazon Conservation Association was developed in partnership with the Hutukara Associação Yanomami (HAY) and the Associação Wanasseduume Ye’kwana (Seduume).

In 2025, 45.2 new hectares were deforested as a result of illegal mining in the territory, nearly half of the 84 hectares recorded in 2024. According to the report, this figure is a warning sign: despite the slowdown in mining activity, the opening of new areas shows that the illegal operations have not been fully neutralized.

In 2023, when the Federal Government declared a Public Health Emergency of National Importance in the territory, 330 hectares of expansion were recorded – an 81.6% reduction compared to the previous year.

In 2020, 400 hectares were deforested, and in 2021 the figure rose to more than 1,000 hectares. The year 2022 saw the largest increase, with approximately 1,800 hectares cleared.

This monitoring is carried out monthly through the visual interpretation of satellite images by geoprocessing specialists. Based on these images, degradation polygons are drawn. Each month, the affected areas are revisited to refine the mapping and check for possible errors.

New areas impacted

In 2025, the mapping identified 121 polygons of newly impacted areas linked to illegal mining, 90% of them measuring one hectare or less. The two largest polygons – each roughly four hectares – are located in the Parima and Surucucus regions, specifically near the Feijão Queimado airstrip in Roraima.

The report also notes that illegal miners have dispersed their activities, avoiding the large concentrations seen before federal operations began. Areas previously exploited to exhaustion, such as Alto Catrimani, Médio Uraricoera and Homoxi, now appear to be relatively neutralized.

New tactics

To evade enforcement, the invaders continue relying on the tactic of moving toward areas closer to the Venezuelan border. In this context, the report identified new scars in Parafuri‑Parima, Hokomawë and Cabeceira do Aracaçá.

In 2025, the Yanomami Indigenous Territory Alert System – created and used by organizations within the Yanomami Territory – recorded at least five alerts related to the movement of clandestine aircraft in the Auaris region. In most cases, the aircraft were flying toward Hokomawë, either in the direction of the Gaúcho Animal airstrip, located at the mouth of the Auaris River, or toward the airstrip at the headwaters of the Aracaçá River.

According to ISA geographer Estêvão Senra, with gold prices reaching historic highs on the international market, pressure from illegal mining remains constant.

“Eviction operations are an essential first step, but on their own they do not solve the structural problem. Without medium‑ and long‑term territorial protection strategies – including permanent surveillance and improvements in the regulation of the gold supply chain – there is a significant risk of seeing a new wave of invasions in the near future.”

The same pattern has been observed in other parts of the Amazon where eviction and enforcement operations have taken place, such as the Madre de Dios region in Peru, which destroyed more than 100 mining dredges in recent years. Now, satellite data show the return of incursions into protected areas, including the Tambopata National Reserve, according to a recent report also released by MAAP.

Matt Finer, director of the MAAP program at Amazon Conservation, emphasizes that the data show governments are capable of reducing illegal mining when coordinated interventions and effective enforcement efforts are in place. “In the Yanomami Indigenous Territory, illegal mining reached its peak between 2021 and 2022 but dropped significantly after the major intervention by the Brazilian government beginning in 2023. However, as we have recently observed in Peru and Venezuela, these actions must be part of a continuous, long‑term effort. Otherwise, illegal mining tends to return quickly.”

Territorial Alerts

In 2025, the alert system recorded a total of 66 territorial alerts. Of these, 83% were invasion alerts, which include information on the movement of clandestine aircraft, boats, barges and other vehicles. There were also reports of attacks and the entry of firearms.

The alert system is an initiative of the organizations of the Yanomami Indigenous Territory: Hutukara Associação Yanomami, Associação Wanasseduume Ye’kwana, Urihi Associação Yanomami, Parawamë, Kurikama, AYRCA and Kumirayoma, with technical support from ISA and backing from the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef). The tool began to be implemented in 2023.

Read also Yanomami Indigenous issue cell phone alerts to defend their territory

The system allows community monitors to send alerts through a form with photos, videos, audio recordings and geolocation, even offline. The information is validated and translated by Indigenous researchers, organized into a public dashboard, and forwarded to the authorities. The tool is available in four languages: Yanomami, Ye’kwana, Sanoma and Portuguese.

Among the regions that recorded alerts of airspace invasion, in addition to Auaris, are Xitei, Alto Catrimani and Apiaú (possibly linked to mining activity on the Couto Magalhães River).

“In the case of Catrimani, the link between this movement and the mining activity taking place at the headwaters of the Orinoco, in Venezuelan territory, one of the areas with the highest miner activity in recent years, is striking,” the report notes.

The Taboca airstrip, located in Venezuela, is identified as a strategic part of the logistics that sustain illegal mining in Brazil. The airstrip supports invaders who continue to operate in the Alto Catrimani and Xitei regions.

According to the report, the Ericó region, an area accessible via the Uraricaá River, showed significant signs of deforestation linked to mining activity. During the most critical phase of the invasion, there were reports of dredges operating on the Uraricaá River, but no signs of mining on land. That scenario appears to have changed as part of the invaders’ strategy to evade operations in more heavily monitored areas.

Alerts submitted through the system also indicate the persistence of incursions along the Uraricoera, Catrimani, Apiaú and Ajarani rivers. Reports include barge traffic, dredge operations, the transport of cassiterite and the entry of supplies into mining camps.

Baixo Catrimani is the region that reported the highest number of river‑based invasions. From April to December 2025, the Yanomami sent nine alerts about the presence of barges, dredges and the movement of suspicious boats.

• 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.

 

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

 

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.

Smart Ways to Give After Tax Season (and Make Your Impact Go Further)

Tax season has ended, but the work of protecting the Amazon has not. At Amazon Conservation, safeguarding one of the most vital ecosystems on Earth means preserving biodiversity, supporting Indigenous and local communities, and helping address global climate challenges year-round.

Even today, many supporters are still reviewing their finances, updating plans, and deciding how to direct charitable support for the months ahead. If that is you, it may be helpful to consider “smart giving” options that can increase impact while also aligning with your financial goals.

Smart giving helps supporters match the way they give with the outcomes they want to see in the Amazon. These approaches can be efficient, and in many cases, tax-advantaged.

Below are four options to consider:

1. Appreciated stock or mutual funds: Donating long-held securities may allow you to avoid capital gains taxes and potentially deduct the full fair market value, helping expand conservation efforts across the Amazon.
2. IRA charitable distributions (for those 70½+): These gifts can count toward your required minimum distribution and may reduce taxable income while supporting critical environmental protection.
3. Donor-advised fund grants: Recommending a grant is a simple way to direct charitable dollars you’ve already set aside.
4. Cryptocurrency donations: These gifts may offer tax advantages similar to stock gifts while helping protect forests and wildlife.

Through our partnership with FreeWill, you can learn about each option and make a contribution in just a few minutes.

Learn more about smart giving options here.

Overview of What’s Changed for 2026

Beginning January 1, 2026, new federal tax rules introduced caps and thresholds on charitable deductions:

• Partial nondeductibility: The first portion of charitable giving is no longer deductible for many donors.
• Deduction cap: Large gifts now face limits on how much can be deducted.
• Senior benefit expired: The temporary extra deduction for donors aged 65+ applied only in 2025 and is no longer available.

These changes mean that while tax incentives are reduced, the value of giving remains strong—especially when aligned with strategies that go beyond deductions.

See our smart giving options here.

For questions, please contact: development@amazonconservation.org

 

 

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.

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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.

 

Happy Earth Day!

Today is a reminder that protecting our planet is both a shared responsibility and a powerful opportunity to make a difference together.

This Earth Month, we have been sharing stories that show what the Power of Collective Action looks like in practice. From technology to policy, from data to community action, these efforts demonstrate how your support helps mobilize conservation impact at scale across the Amazon.

The Impact of Collective Action

What does the impact of the Power of Collective Action look like?

It looks like sustained partnerships on the ground, including our 25‑year alliance with Conservación Amazónica‑ACCA in Peru and our 15‑year alliance with Conservación Amazónica‑ACEAA in Bolivia. This long‑standing Alliance has built the foundation for monitoring, protecting, and restoring critical rainforest landscapes with a committed network of partners across the region. 

It also looks like our 6-year partnership with Fundación EcoCiencia in Ecuador, where we are working together to tackle one of the Amazon’s most complex challenges: illegal gold mining. Illegal gold mining is not a problem unique to Ecuador, nor is it one that will be effectively resolved with solely local action.

In words from Carmen Josse, Executive Director of Fundación EcoCiencia, we are detecting illegal mining and working toward policy solutions that confront the problem at its root.

This is the power of mobilizing conservation at scale: organizations, communities, and experts coming together to protect the Amazon, at the scale it demands.

Here are 6 ways you can show your support for Earth Day:

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 or check out our Ways to Give.
2. Become a Wild Keeper and Get a Free Gift: Join 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. Create your personalized, shareable online fundraiser here!
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. Interact with and reshare our content to help spread our message!
6. Make Amazon Conservation a Part of Your Legacy: Legacy gifts ensure that your commitment to conservation continues far into the future, safeguarding forests, wildlife, and communities. Through our partnership with FreeWill, you can create a will for free in just 20 minutes and easily designate a gift to Amazon Conservation as part of the process. 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.

 

 

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:
           

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

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