The Amazon is at a decisive crossroads. The expansion of illegal gold mining threatens not only global climate stability but also the human rights of millions of people who inhabit and safeguard the largest and most biodiverse tropical forest on Earth.
This new report, prepared by the Coalition Against Illegal Mining in the Amazon (CMIA), examines the links between the climate change, environmental degradation, and human rights violations across the Amazon Basin in Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela. The document underscores the role of corruption networks and organized crime in the expansion of illegal mining and proposes concrete pathways for more effective international action in the lead-up to COP30 in Belém.
The report highlights the urgent need to:
• Recognize the central role of Indigenous Peoples in climate governance.
• Establish robust regulatory frameworks to halt the illegal mining chain.
• Promote sustainable alternatives such as Indigenous agroforestry practices.
• Strengthen cross-border cooperation and green financial mechanisms.
This report calls upon the international community, States, and the private sector to prioritize the reduction of illegal mining in the Amazon as an effective measure to mitigate climate change. To achieve this, it is essential to align climate justice with the protection of the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities affected by this phenomenon.
The Coalition Against Illegal Mining in the Amazon (CMIA) is composed of Amazon Conservation Team (ACT), Centro de Documentación e Información Bolivia (CEDIB), Due Process of Law Foundation (DPLF), Fundación Gaia Amazonas, Hutukara Associação Yanomami, People in Need (PIN), the Sociedad Peruana de Derecho Ambiental (SPDA), and SOSOrinoco.
