New from MAAP: Illegal Mining in Protected Areas of the Ecuadorian Amazon

October 17, 2024

In previous reports (MAAP #182MAAP #219), evidence has shown that mining activities have increased in the Ecuadorian Amazon, drastically affecting protected areas and Indigenous territories.

Now, our newest report from MAAP,  MAAP #221, provides an in-depth analysis of four protected areas in the Ecuadorian Amazon that are currently threatened by mining activities. Utilizing high-resolution satellite imagery, this report details the impacts of these mining activities in the following areas:

  • Podocarpus and Sumaco Napo-Galeras National Parks,
  • Cofán Bermejo Ecological Reserve, and
  • El Zarza Wildlife Refuge.

The analysis’s findings show that mining deforestation deep within Podocarpus National Park, along the Loyola River, has increased to 50 hectares, representing a growth of 125% between 2023 and 2024.

In other examples, we show how the rapid mining expansion within their buffer zones has recently penetrated the boundaries of the Sumaco Napo-Galeras National Park and the Cofán Bermejo Ecological Reserve.

 

Read the full report here.