Amazon peatland under siege by gold miners

Research reveals that gold mining in Peru’s Amazon rainforest has destroyed more peatland in the past two years than during the previous three decades combined. This destruction is releasing vast amounts of stored carbon and threatening one of the planet’s most important carbon sinks.

Researchers from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology analyzed more than 35 years of NASA Landsat satellite data. They tracked the expansion of artisanal gold mining into the peatlands of southeastern Peru’s Madre de Dios region.

Rapid acceleration of destruction

The findings paint an alarming picture. Mining activities have destroyed over 550 hectares (1,359 acres) of peatland, releasing between 0.2 and 0.7 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere. More than 55 percent of this destruction occurred in just the last two years.

“Mining is spreading fast into these fragile areas because it has become easier to reach these remote mining spots, and there just isn’t enough law enforcement to protect the area,” said Dr. J. Ethan Householder, corresponding author of the study.

Why these peatlands matter

The peatlands along the Madre de Dios River represent a unique Amazonian ecosystem that was only scientifically documented in 2012. These waterlogged forests have accumulated carbon over 6,000 to 10,000 years, storing it in thick, oxygen-poor layers that decompose extremely slowly.

Unlike typical forests, peatlands store carbon both above and below ground. The below-ground peat deposits hold carbon equivalent to forests seven times larger in area. This makes even small areas of peatland loss highly significant for greenhouse gas emissions.

The advancing mining front

Currently, mining within peatlands accounts for nine percent of all mining activity in the Madre de Dios region. Researchers project this could reach 25 percent by 2027 if current trends continue.

The mining front advances into the alluvial plain at approximately 330 feet (100 meters) per year, steadily approaching peat-rich margins where swamps are most common. As miners follow gold-bearing sediments inland from riverbanks, they create access paths and establish camps that lower barriers for others to follow.

Compounding environmental damage

Beyond carbon release, the mining operations contaminate local ecosystems with mercury, a toxic metal used to bind fine gold particles during processing. Studies have documented elevated mercury levels in sediments and fish downstream of mining areas. Unfortunately, many carnivorous fish exceed health guidelines for mercury in tissue.

This poses serious health risks for communities that rely on river fish as a primary food source. Mining in South America adds a public health dimension to the climate and biodiversity costs.

A call for urgent action

Roughly 63 of 219 identified peatland areas show evidence of mining at their edges. This figure puts more than 10,000 hectares (24,711 acres) at immediate risk. Disturbances in these areas could potentially release between 3.5 and 14.5 million tons of carbon. That is the carbon equivalent to the annual emissions of millions of cars.

“The rapid proliferation of gold mining inside peatlands appears to be of such scope as to be an existential threat to the entire peatland complex,” the researchers wrote.

Scientists emphasize that protecting these peatlands requires high-resolution mapping, real-time monitoring of hotspots, and keeping heavy equipment away from areas with the deepest peat deposits. Peatlands that remain wet and shaded can continue storing carbon indefinitely.

The study was published in the journal Environmental Research Letters.

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