Peru steps up fight against illegal gold mining as it spreads into protected Amazon reserve

Peruvian authorities have intensified their campaign against illegal gold mining in Madre de Dios, one of the Amazon's most biodiverse regions, as the practice pushes into protected reserves. The Associated Press reports that navy personnel — including eight troops dropped by helicopter at separate points along the Malinowski River — raided makeshift mining camps over several days, sending miners fleeing into the forest.

The report describes camps abandoned in haste: pools gouged into the forest floor filled with muddy, chemical-tinged water, wooden mining platforms, and pumps and plastic tubing used to sift sediment for traces of gold. Mercury used to separate gold from sediment has contaminated waterways and wildlife, and the mining has stripped large areas of rainforest, leaving a scarred landscape visible from the air.

Officials cited by AP say the mining has advanced close to military monitoring points and into protected areas — a deputy prosecutor said hundreds of dredges were already inside the Tambopata National Reserve. An Indigenous federation official said criminal groups linked to the mining have operated near or inside protected Indigenous communities, underscoring the stakes of the crackdown as it spreads deeper into the Amazon.