Source:
The MAAP Project, 2025
A recent satellite monitoring campaign has revealed the scale of illegal alluvial mining in Colombia’s Amazon region, particularly along the Puré and Cotuhé rivers near the borders with Brazil and Peru. Conducted by the Andean Amazon Monitoring Project (MAAP) under the Amazon Conservation Alliance, the investigation identified 56 active extraction points between November 2024 and April 2025. These operations, many located within protected areas, are not only highly lucrative—yielding up to three kilograms of gold per month worth roughly US$275,000—but also deeply harmful, relying on mercury to separate gold from sediment.
The environmental and social costs are profound. Mercury contamination seeps into river systems, bioaccumulating in fish consumed by indigenous communities, including groups in voluntary isolation such as the Yurí–Passé. The activity also accelerates deforestation and undermines food security, health, and cultural traditions. Field conditions are hazardous for oversight: the region is remote, access is limited, and the presence of armed groups has prevented effective government intervention for over 15 years. While the report does not claim an increase compared to previous years, the persistence of this illicit economy signals entrenched pressures on critical Amazonian ecosystems and cross-border river basins.
From a governance perspective, the persistence of these 56 illegal mining sites underscores the urgent need for coordinated stakeholder participation and a transboundary social license to operate framework. In such sensitive ecological and cultural contexts, legal resource use must be developed with the consent and active involvement of indigenous nations, local governments, and civil society. Without transparent agreements, benefit-sharing, and shared enforcement mechanisms among Colombia, Brazil, and Peru, any attempt to replace or eradicate these illicit operations will be unsustainable—leaving environmental damage, community mistrust, and economic vacuums in their wake.