Amazon Conservation

NEW FINDINGS: How close is the Amazon to a tipping point?

Our new white paper, "𝘒𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘙𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘍𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨: 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘋𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘳𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘰𝘯 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘙𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘉𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘢," reveals how deforestation, road expansion, and infrastructure projects across Brazil threaten the flying rivers that sustain rainfall across the Amazon.

Featuring a foreword by renowned Brazilian climate scientist Carlos Nobre, one of the leading voices warning about the risks of an Amazon tipping point, the study also highlights Critical Moisture Territories: forests essential to maintaining the Amazon’s water cycle but increasingly threatened by deforestation, fires, land grabbing, and illegal mining.

One major hotspot is the BR-319 highway corridor in western Brazil, where disruptions could weaken the forest’s ability to recycle rainfall and intensify drought across Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil itself.

The publication is available in 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵, 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗲.

Read the full white paper: www.amazonconservation.org/publication

𝗔𝗠𝗔𝗭𝗢𝗡 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗩𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 📰

From Brazil to Peru and across the Amazon Basin, the fight against illegal gold mining is gaining international attention.

Check out some of the latest media coverage featuring Amazon Conservation’s work to monitor, expose, and combat illegal mining and deforestation across the Amazonian countries and why regional collaboration is more urgent than ever.

In the link below, read the latest stories on how illegal gold mining is threatening protected areas, Indigenous territories, rivers, and forests across the Amazon.

➡️ https://linktr.ee/AmazonConservation

⚠️ The scars left by illegal mining are gradually healing in the Yanomami Indigenous Territory, but the invaders persist with new tactics.

A new study by the Socio-Environmental Institute (ISA), in partnership with the MAAP program—an initiative of the Amazon Conservation Association—shows that deforestation caused by mining peaked in 2022, at approximately 1,800 hectares.

The report was also produced in partnership with the Hutukara Yanomami Association (HAY) and the Wanasseduume Ye'kwana Association (Seduume).

Even though it is declining, the opening of new areas is a warning sign: illegal activity has not been completely stopped.

🔗 Read the full report at the link in the bio.

Through our work and partnerships across the Amazon and Andes, to date 14.6 million acres of critical habitat have been protected, connecting habitats and providing critical resources to help endangered wildlife and the ecosystems they depend on to adapt and thrive.

We can make a difference. Every acre protected helps these iconic species survive.

Last month, we joined the first Amazon Gold Alliance (AGA) Summit, a collaborative innovation network convened by , alongside scientists, Indigenous leaders, government officials, civil society organizations, and jewelers working together to confront illegal gold mining across the Amazon.

During the summit, our specialists showcased the Amazon Mining Watch platform and shared the launch of our latest Amazon Gold Governance Review, part of the Amazon Mining Policy Scoreboard. Participants also traveled to Madre de Dios, where they experienced firsthand the devastating impacts of illegal mining, including deforestation and water contamination, while learning about responsible mining practices, ecological restoration, and mercury-free gold processing.

Collaboration across sectors is critical to protecting the Amazon.

Read more:
https://www.amazonconservation.org/building-alliances-to-confront-illegal-gold-mining-in-the-amazon-aga-summit/

About Amazon Gold Alliance: https://www.amazongold.org

🚨 ALERT IN PERU

Seven years after Operation Mercury, illegal gold mining is once again expanding within the Tambopata National Reserve, one of the most biodiverse territories in the Peruvian Amazon.

Our new MAAP report #241, developed with our sister organization Conservación Amazónica-ACCA, reveals a critical situation:

- Over 1,200 acres (500 hectares) of forests destroyed between the second half of 2025 and early 2026
- 183 active mining infrastructures detected in February 2026
- 67 illegal camps inside the protected area in February 2026
- Nearly 1,000 people linked to this illegal activity this year alone

One of the most concerning findings: illegal mining continues advancing near the reserve's monitoring and control posts, increasing pressure on the territory and endangering those who protect it.

Tambopata is once again facing a threat that puts its forests, water sources, biodiversity, local people, and years of conservation efforts at risk.

Read the full MAAP #241 report:

https://www.maapprogram.org/mining-peru-tambopata/

⚠️ Illegal mining continues to spread in Indigenous Lands in the Xingu.

A study by the Instituto Socioambiental - ISA in Brazil and Amazon Conservation shows that illegal mining persists in the Xingu River Basin, between Mato Grosso and Pará, raising concerns about growing risks to forests and local populations.

Between January and September 2025, 335 hectares (more than 800 acres) were deforested in Indigenous Lands, highlighting the limitations of enforcement efforts.

The analysis uses satellite, radar, and artificial intelligence data (MAAP, SiRAD X, and Amazon Mining Watch) and confirms a continuous pattern of expansion.

Since 2018, the region has lost at least 11,500 hectares (around 28,400 acres) of forest, with significant environmental and social impacts.

The Xingu Corridor remains under intense pressure, requiring long-term solutions. The analysis recommends strengthening enforcement, taking sustained action against illegal mining, and ensuring greater transparency in the gold supply chain.

Read the full report here: https://www.maapprogram.org/mining-xingu-brazil-indig/

Amazon Conservation’s Monitoring of the Andes Amazon Program (MAAP) is supported by Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.