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 […]

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 […]

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. […]

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 […]

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. […]

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. […]

Drawing on 24 years of satellite data, the analysis maps gold-mining deforestation across the country and shows recent incursions into protected areas. A new analysis by Amazon Conservation Association’s Monitoring of the Andes Amazon Program (MAAP), combining over two decades’ worth of satellite data with recent AI monitoring results from Amazon Mining Watch, reveals that […]

In 2025, your support to Amazon Conservation made meaningful results possible across the Amazon Rainforest, strengthening local people’s ability to defend their forests, expanding protected areas, and elevating Indigenous leadership, while ensuring that science, partnerships, and action moved forward together. Here are some highlights of what we achieved together during our 25th anniversary year.  Through […]

Dear Friend of the Amazon, My name is Nadia Mamani, and I come from the Madre de Dios region of Peru, a place of stunning beauty and deep cultural roots, but also one of the most threatened by illegal gold mining and deforestation. These activities have destroyed forests, poisoned rivers, and displaced local communities. Using […]

What would you do if your future depended on the health of the forest around you? For many in the Amazon, that’s not a hypothetical—it’s daily life. Across the rainforest, powerful stories are unfolding—stories of strength, hope, and courage. Indigenous communities and local leaders are working hard to protect the forest that sustains their life, […]