Gold mining in Madre de Dios: mercury in every body

Madre de Dios, perceived as Peru’s capital of biodiversity and cultural diversity, faces significant impacts from gold mining activities. The consequences extend from ecological to social, ranging from ecological degradation to social consequences including human rights violations and the loss of ancestral lands. In the ancient forests of Madre de Dios, every body is hurt: from rivers to soils and from trees to humans.

Header photo: Gold mining in Madre de Dios, Peru. © Tom Laffay / IUCN NL

Madre de Dios is located in the southeastern part of Peru. It is widely known as the “capital of biodiversity” with 93% of its area covered in tropical forest ecosystems. Covering 3.8 million hectares of the Peruvian Amazon, it is one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth. At the same time, it is also one of Peru’s most culturally diverse regions, and the home to ten Indigenous populations with 37 native communities^[1]Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática – INEI. (2017).. Sadly, within this context of cultural and ecological richness, there is also a lot of violence.

Gold mining in Madre de Dios

Over the last decades, Madre de Dios has been severely impacted by the presence of mining, particularly for the extraction of gold. It has been one of the main causes of environmental degradation and a driver of deforestation^[2]Monitoring of the Andes Amazon Program. MAAP #185: Gold Mining Deforestation in the Southern Peruvian Amazon: 2021-2022 Update. Link to source.. Out of the 712 mining concessions documented in the country, 452 of them are identified within Madre de Dios; making the area the epicenter of the problem, according to a recent study^[3]ACCA. (2024). Concesiones mineras ponen en riesgo la biodiversidad en Áreas Protegidas y Reservas Indígenas en la Amazonía peruana. Link to source..

Part of the mining is conducted legally, but a recent study of  the Monitoring of the Andes Amazon Program showed that more than 40,000 mines operate illegally in natural protected areas and their neighboring rivers and/or within the territories of Indigenous peoples. Gold mining in Madre de Dios does not only affect the quality of life and health of Indigenous peoples and other Amazon communities; it has also been a major cause of violence^[4]CEDIB et al. (2024). Minería Ilegal de Oro: impactos sobre los derechos humanos y la biodiversidad en la Amazonía Seis países reportan. Link to source..

Mercury persists in the environment without breaking down. It bioaccumulates in food chains and remains toxic indefinitely. It is a “forever” chemical

Mercury in every body

In Madre de Dios, gold mining is primarily alluvial. This type of gold extraction heavily relies on the use of mercury, because artisanal small-scale miners (ASGM) cannot afford mercury-free extraction methods. Mercury can be used during various stages of the mining process and depending on the method, different amounts of mercury are needed.

 After its use for ASGM, mercury is released into the surrounding environment in two ways: as a gas and by dissolving in water. As a gas, mercury evaporates into the atmosphere, where it can travel long distances before settling. Once dissolved in water, mercury contaminates in rivers and other water bodies both people and nature depend on^[5]IUCN. (2020). Opening the black box: local insights into the formal and informal global mercury trade revealed. Link to source.. Once introduced into the ecosystem, mercury undergoes chemical transformations, such as converting into methylmercury, a highly toxic form that accumulates in fish and other aquatic organisms. This contamination disrupts the natural cycles of rivers and soils, impairing their ability to support biodiversity and ecosystem functions^[6]Gworek B., Dmuchowski, W. and Baczewska-Dabrowska, A.H. (2020). Mercury in the terrestrial environment: a review. Link to source..

Mercury persists in the environment without breaking down. It bioaccumulates in food chains and remains toxic indefinitely. It is a “forever” chemical. Many local communities and Indigenous peoples depend on the area’s natural resources, providing them ecosystem services like water, fish and other types of food. Mercury-polluted water therefore compromises their health and livelihoods. In addition to water bodies, the soil becomes polluted affecting both biodiversity and agricultural crops. In addition, many Amazon people rely on mining for their livelihood and are in direct contact with mercury on a daily basis. According CAMEP (2013), 78% of adults in the area have significantly higher levels of mercury detected in their hair than the limits suggested by the World Health Organization^[7]Carnegie Amazon Mercury Ecosystem Project – CAMEP. (2013). Research brief. Mercury in Madre de Dios: Mercury concentrations in fish and humans in Puerto Maldonado. Link to source.. Health issues range from neurological damage, organ damage and reproductive issues.

Mining: deforestation and ecosystem degradation

Mercury pollution is only one example of the impacts that ASGM gold mining has brought upon the area of Madre de Dios. Other consequences are deforestation and overall ecosystem degradation. From 1985 until 2017, a total area of 95,750 hectares has been deforested in the region, with 64,586 hectares lost only during the years of 2009 until 2019^[8]CEDIB et al. (2024) Minería Ilegal de Oro: impactos sobre los derechos humanos y la biodiversidad en la Amazonía Seis países reportan. Link to source..

In Peru, mining, and particularly ASGM, is not a primary driver of deforestation compared to agriculture or logging. Nevertheless, it significantly contributes to land degradation and land-use change. Even though ASGM clears relatively small patches of forest, it does leave behind highly degraded landscapes, polluted soils and waterways, as well as the increased sedimentation make recovery difficult. Combined with the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services, the overall environmental impact of mining is substantial^[9]Monitoring of the Andes Amazon Program. MAAP #208:Gold mining in the southern Peruvian Amazon, summary 2021-2024. Link to source.

The way of life of Amazon people has been entangled with the forest and its resources for many generations. This means that the destruction of the ecosystems does not only affects their livelihoods and health, it also affects their cultural and social structures.

Violence related to deforestation and environmental degradation appears in different forms extending from physical violence to economic and social violence.

Different types of violence

The Peruvian Ministry of Justice suggests that there is a direct link between the presence of gold mining in Madre de Dios and the violation of human rights^[10]CEDIB et al (2024). Minería Ilegal de Oro: impactos sobre los derechos humanos y la biodiversidad en la Amazonía Seis países reportan. Link to source.. When we closely explore the violence that Amazon communities experience in relation to mining, we see that violence related to deforestation and environmental degradation appears in different forms extending from physical violence to economic and social violence. These different types of violence are often interconnected.  

Examples of physical violence are homicides and human trafficking, as well as the direct deterioration of people’s health due to mercury pollution. In 2020, Madre de Dios was recorded as the region with the highest number of murders in the country. In 2021, 200 people were killed in the region, of which 40% were Indigenous^[11]Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática – INEI (2017).. Indigenous peoples are especially affected by the violence, as the protection of the Amazon forest is intrinsically linked to them defending their territories and livelihoods.

At the same time, local and Indigenous communities in Madre de Dios experience other forms of violence due to mining. Trespassing and the loss of ancestral lands, along with the cultural and natural heritage, are some examples. At the same time, mining is the major economic activity within Madre de Dios. With no other comparably profitable alternatives, many people are forced or drawn to engage with these practices. This can create conflict and fragmentation between families and generations, weakening the community’s social fabric and rendering them more vulnerable.

Differentiated impact on women

Part of the different types of violence affect women in particular. For example, the sexual harassment and overall lack of safety they may experience in the area is often exacerbated by the presence of people involved in extractive activities. Living in a constant state of insecurity, fearing their safety and that of their families, has a great impact on women’s mental health and well-being. Therefore, for women environmental defenders, the fight over their territories and environmental integrity is directly linked to their fight for their rights and gender equality.

PIDDA: inclusive protection of environmental defenders

The different types of violence women in Madre de Dios must deal with underscore the urgent need for comprehensive strategies to protect women defenders and their territories. The PIDDA project sheds light on the situation of women environmental defenders to promote their and their communities’ effective participation in the development of public policy. Activities include providing information contributing to improved, gender-sensitive national policy protecting environmental defenders, but also working with women so they better protect themselves, through our partners in Madre de Dios.’

PIDDA is a collaboration of Sociedad Peruana de Derecho Ambiental (SPDA), IUCN NL and two community-based organisations in Madre de Dios. The project is being supported by Agence Française de Développement (AFD).