Examining Peru’s Gold-Mining Conflict

Back in February 2010, the government of Peru issued an emergency decree to impose stricter environmental regulations on gold mining. The decree put a hold on approval of new mining claims in Madre de Dios, added controls over where mining is permitted, and prohibited river dredging. The Mining Federation of Madre de Dios (FEDEMIN), afraid […]


New Partnership Amplifies Our Efforts to Stop Illegal Gold Mining in the Amazon

Amazon Conservation has an extensive history of tracking illegal gold mining in the Peruvian Amazon via our real-time satellite monitoring program, Monitoring of the Andes Amazon Program (MAAP). Over the years, we have continuously expanded our scope across all 9 countries of the Amazon, partnering with numerous local NGOs and civil society organizations who often […]


MAAP #212: Using Machine Learning to Detect Mining Deforestation Across the Amazon

Gold Mining is one of the major deforestation drivers across the Amazon, often targeting remote areas such as protected areas and indigenous territories. Given the vastness of the Amazon, accurately monitoring mining deforestation in the most real-time, up-to-date format has been a challenge. To help better analyze deforestation patterns, our latest MAAP report, MAAP #212, […]


MAAP #196: Measuring Socio-Environmental Impacts with the First Ever Illegal Gold Mining Impact Calculator

Our newest MAAP report, MAAP #196, shows the results of the socio-environmental impacts caused by illegal mining using a unique tool, the “Illegal Gold Mining Impact Calculator” developed by Conservation Strategy Fund – CSF. Illegal gold mining has generated massive deforestation in the southern Peruvian Amazon (MAAP #208), and has contaminated the area’s major rivers, tributaries, and secondary […]


Peruvian Judiciary President Holds Workshop on Environmental Crimes

From August 24th – 26th, our Peruvian sister organization Conservación Amazónica – ACCA brought together professionals with experience in administrative, constitutional, environmental, forestry, and criminal law to hold the theoretical-practical workshop on “Strengthening for Environmental Judges of the Amazonian Environmental Justice System.” This presentational workshop was co-organized with the National Commission for Environmental Management – […]


Sharing Lessons Learned in the Peruvian Amazon with Brazil

In the last two years, radar monitoring has proven to be an especially effective tool in the fight against illegal gold mining in the Amazon. While imaging satellites can be blocked by clouds or smoke, radar technology allows satellites to measure changes on the earth’s surface regardless of cloud cover. In 2021, our Peruvian sister […]


Peru Shares RAMI Technology and Training Against Illegal Mining with Brazil

Experts from Conservación Amazónica – ACCA in Peru hosted a training workshop in the use of the RAMI (Radar Mining Monitoring) tool at an event with the goal of building capacity and transferring technology to specialists in environmental monitoring at the Ministry of Environment and Sustainability (SEMAS) in the Brazilian state of Pará. The main […]


Co-Founder of Amazon Conservation, Enrique Ortiz, and Former Board Member, Miles Silman, Speak About Illegal Gold Mining in Article for Science Magazine

On January 11, 2023, Science Magazine, one of the world’s leading peer-reviewed scientific journals, published an article on the effects of illegal gold mining in rivers around the world, including the Peruvian Amazon. Legal and illegal gold mining activity has surged over the past 20 years and affects 173 large rivers in 49 countries today. […]