{"id":2210,"date":"2024-10-24T13:15:47","date_gmt":"2024-10-24T18:15:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fcds.org.pe\/uncategorized\/cop16-seven-policy-recommendations-to-combat-illegal-mining-in-the-amazon\/"},"modified":"2024-10-24T18:09:18","modified_gmt":"2024-10-24T23:09:18","slug":"cop16-seven-policy-recommendations-to-combat-illegal-mining-in-the-amazon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fcds.org.pe\/en\/news\/cop16-seven-policy-recommendations-to-combat-illegal-mining-in-the-amazon\/","title":{"rendered":"COP16: Seven policy recommendations to combat illegal mining in the Amazon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

More than 120 organizations from Colombia, Peru, Brazil and the United States presented their proposals at the world’s most important summit on biological diversity, in order to act against this environmental crime.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n

Faced with the expansion of illegal gold mining in the Amazon, its harmful impacts on the environment, public health, the economy and the increase in public insecurity due to the presence of armed groups and cross-border criminal organizations, more than 120 civil society organizations from the continent have joined together to call on their governments to urgently act against this transnational environmental crime.<\/p>\n\n

During the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16)<\/strong>, organizations from Peru, Brazil, Colombia and the United States shared a series of recommendations<\/a> aimed at mitigating and preventing the damage caused by this activity, which mainly affects local and indigenous communities and even Peoples in Isolation and Initial Contact (PIACI).<\/p>\n\n

In the framework of the event “Illegal gold mining in the Amazon: transboundary environmental crime”,<\/strong> held on October 23 at the summit held in Cali, Colombia, proposals were presented that recognize and align with the efforts of the Amazonian countries and the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO). <\/p>\n\n

The event included a panel discussion with Melina Risso, Research Director of the Igarap\u00e9 Institute in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Julia Yansura, Director of the Environmental Crime and Illicit Finance Program (FACT Coalition); Manuel Zapata, legal spokesperson for the Observatory of Illegal Mining and Coordinator of Binational Projects<\/a> of the Foundation for Conservation and Development (FCDS Peru); and Esperanza Leal, Director of the Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS Colombia).<\/p>\n\n

The experts highlighted the need to comprehensively address illegal mining and related crimes. They pointed out that the confluence of these crimes increases public insecurity and human rights violations in the Amazon<\/strong>, often through the co-optation of public institutions. <\/p>\n\n

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In recent years illegal mining has reached border areas of Amazonian countries, in the photo an illegal mining operation captured in an overflight over the Cothu\u00e9, Purit\u00e9, Pur\u00e9 and Putumayo rivers. Photo: FCDS <\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
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On the other hand, they emphasized that it is essential to attack the supply chain of illegal mining and its relationship with money laundering and other financial crimes.<\/strong> They also indicated the urgency of involving indigenous and local communities in decision-making, as they are directly affected by the contamination of their main sources of livelihood.<\/p>\n\n

In this regard, Manuel Zapata, coordinator of binational projects for the FCDS Peru, stressed that it is necessary to strengthen coordination between the different justice operators<\/strong> to attack the convergence of crimes, promote the interoperability of information between administrative agencies and promote a cultural change in the judicial systems to highlight the importance of effective sanctions in environmental matters. In addition, it is essential to invest in economic alternatives for communities. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cIt is essential to promote a change towards a sustainable development model. The development of local economies is not only associated with having more financial resources, but also as an alternative preventive measure to illegal economies. It is necessary for States to invest in these territories,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n

The experts also stressed that this is a problem that not only concerns the Amazonian countries, but is a cause for global concern and measures are needed in seven priority areas:<\/p>\n\n

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  1. Promote shared responsibility: The organizations stress that illegal mining is not only a problem of producer countries, but also involves importing nations and financial centers that facilitate illicit profits. They urge all countries to cooperate to eradicate the illegal gold trade. <\/li>

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  2. Strengthen cross-border governance: A Joint Coordination Mechanism is proposed to strengthen cooperation in vulnerable border areas. An Early Warning System is also called for to detect illegal mining before it spreads. <\/li>

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  3. Collective actions to combat mercury contamination: Indigenous peoples and local communities should actively participate in the fight against mercury contamination in Amazonian rivers, with technical support and adequate resources, based on greater recognition of their autonomy and territorial rights.<\/li>

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  4. Combating illicit financing: Illegal mining generates billions of dollars annually, which finances transnational criminal networks. Greater diligence is required in the gold supply chain and financial monitoring to combat money laundering linked to this activity. <\/li>

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  5. A common legal framework for Amazonian gold: It is recommended that minimum standards be established in Amazonian countries to address illegal mining and ensure that biodiversity and human rights are respected in the region.<\/li>

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  6. Promote a shift towards a sustainable development model: Finally, the organizations advocate a shift towards a development model that prioritizes social welfare and environmental conservation, offering viable alternatives to illegal mining for Amazonian communities.<\/li>

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    These recommendations are the result of a joint effort by various institutional platforms in the aforementioned countries, such as the Amazon Alliance for the Reduction of the Impacts of Gold Mining (AARIMO) of Colombia, the Observatory of Illegal Mining and Related Activities in Key Biodiversity Areas (OMI) of Peru, the Igarap\u00e9 Institute of Brazil, and the Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency Coalition (FACT) of the United States.<\/p>\n\n

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    Illegal mining in the Peruvian Amazon<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

    It should be noted thatillegal mining currently affects all Amazonian regions of Peru<\/strong>, mainly alluvial mining in bodies of water through the use of dredges of various sizes. At the national level, it is estimated that between 30 and 70 % of gold exports could be of illegal origin, being the crime with the highest threat of money laundering risk, according to reports from the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF). <\/p>\n\n

    In this regard, it is important to note that the Center for Amazonian Scientific Innovation (Cincia), in a review<\/a> of 100 studies on the effects of informal or illegal mining on water bodies, concludes that there is sufficient evidence that this type of mining is highly detrimental to the environment and people’s health <\/strong>due to the multiple impacts it causes, such as mercury contamination and deforestation.<\/p>\n\n

    In Madre de Dios<\/strong> alone, 18,421 ha of forest have been lost to illegal mining between 2021 and 2022,<\/strong> according to the Association for the Conservation of the Amazon Basin (ACCA). The degree of damage to the territory is equivalent to losing the entire constitutional province of Callao. <\/p>\n\n

    Learn more about this problem in our report Illegal Mining in the Peruvian Amazon<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

    In the following Storymap, we show previously unpublished videos collected during an overflight that we promoted together with a high-level commission of the Peruvian State and the embassies to identify the critical areas where these crimes are spreading.<\/p>\n\n

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