Peru's Military Cracks Down on Amazon Reserve Gold Miners
Peru's military launched Operation Mercury 2, a crackdown on illegal gold mining in the Amazon reserve. The operation aims to remove all illicit miners from Tambopata National Park and prevent their return.
The park, located in the southeastern Madre de Dios region, is one of six endangered national parks in Peru where illegal mining has ravaged hundreds of square miles of federally protected areas. Since 2019, gold prices have more than tripled globally, rising from an average of $1,394 per ounce to around $4,395 today.
The increased profitability of gold mining has driven the destruction of nearly 344,000 acres of the Peruvian Amazon by mid-2025, with 97.5% of that deforestation occurring in Madre de Dios. Mercury used in the process is also poisoning communities, with 71% of people living within mining communities and 80% of those outside having hair-mercury concentrations above the U.S. EPA reference level.
The operation, partly funded by Global Conservation, an international nature conservation group, will be a long-term effort to prevent illegal mining in national parks. 'Illegal gold mining in national parks is crossing the Red Line for Peru's government,' said Jeff Morgan, executive director of Global Conservation.