Peru Deploys Military Against Rogue Gold Miners in Amazon Reserve, Ami

Smoke billowed across the Peruvian Amazon this week as the country's military launched a crackdown on rogue gold miners in the Tambopata National Park. The operation, dubbed Operation Mercury 2, marked a new chapter in the ongoing battle to protect the region's fragile ecosystem.

Operation Mercury 2: A Fight to Save the Amazon

Peru's military has long struggled to combat the scourge of illegal gold mining in the Amazon. Despite a 90% drop in mining activity following the first Operation Mercury in 2019, the problem has proven resilient. The price of gold has more than tripled globally since then, making it increasingly lucrative for miners to operate in the region.

The Tambopata National Park, a popular tourist destination visited by an average of 40,000 people per year, has been particularly hard hit. Teams of soldiers stormed the park on Tuesday, targeting gold mining camps along the Tambopata river. The camps, which had grown into small villages or even towns, were left in ruins as the military destroyed equipment, boats, and campsites.

The Devastating Toll of Gold Mining

Gold mining has ravaged large parts of the Amazon, driven by the global rise in gold prices. The environmental footprint of the industry has become enormous, with nearly 344,000 acres of the Peruvian Amazon destroyed by mid-2025. The majority of this deforestation has occurred in the Madre de Dios region, where mining has spread across nine regions and been documented in 225 rivers and streams.

The mercury used in the gold mining process has also had a devastating impact on local communities. A 2021 study found that 71% of people living within mining communities and 80% of people living outside mining communities had hair-mercury concentrations above the U.S. EPA reference level. Researchers linked fish consumption to higher mercury levels, with several types of fish banned from consumption in the area due to their mercury content.

A New Era for Conservation

The Peruvian government has launched Operation Mercury 2 in partnership with the international nature conservation group Global Conservation. The operation is being partly funded by Global Conservation, which aims to protect endangered national parks and indigenous territories in developing countries.

"This week is just the beginning of Operation Mercury 2 to remove all illegal gold miners from within Tambopata National Park and build a robust, long-term multi-agency presence to prevent their return," said Ronal Ramón Flores Ñañez, provisional deputy supreme prosecutor.

The operation marks a significant shift in Peru's approach to addressing the issue of illegal gold mining. "Illegal gold mining in national parks is crossing the Red Line for Peru's government," said Jeff Morgan, executive director of Global Conservation. "We are launching Operation Mercury 2 together to show the world Peru will no longer allow illegal mining in their national parks, polluting the rivers and water supplies for hundreds of thousands of people and wildlife; causing death and sickness for the next hundred years."

The operation is expected to be a long-term effort, with the military working to remove all illegal gold miners from the park and establish a robust presence to prevent their return. The success of the operation will depend on the government's ability to sustain its efforts and address the root causes of the problem.

Source: JOY