Source:
Mongabay News, August 2025
Authorities from Peru, Brazil, and Colombia have released a joint report on “Operation Green Shield,” a coordinated cross-border campaign aimed at dismantling illegal mining, logging, and wildlife trafficking networks in the Amazon. The operation, carried out over several months, combined river patrols, aerial surveillance, and ground raids in remote areas along the tri-border zone. Dozens of illegal dredges and mining camps were destroyed, large volumes of mercury and illicit timber were seized, and several suspected ringleaders were arrested.
The report highlights both successes and ongoing challenges. While enforcement actions have disrupted key criminal supply chains, authorities acknowledge that illegal activities often resume shortly after raids due to high profits, weak local governance, and the socio-economic dependence of some riverine
communities on illicit economies. Mercury contamination from gold mining remains a serious environmental and public health threat, particularly to Indigenous groups and isolated communities that rely on river systems for food and water.
This development is important because it underscores the transboundary nature of environmental crimes and the need for sustained cooperative action to protect the Amazon. Enforcement alone cannot secure a lasting social license to operate for legitimate development or conservation initiatives in the region—lasting solutions will require integrating community participation, alternative livelihoods, and environmental restoration into long-term policy. Without such measures, the same vulnerabilities that fuel illegal mining today will continue to undermine governance, biodiversity, and the well-being of Amazonian communities.