Traces Of Illegal Gold In Puerto Inca, Peru

Twelve years after the beginning of the formalization process of integrated mining in Peru, no miner has really achieved true formalization in the province of Puerto Inca, in the Huanuco region. Police intelligence documents show that former officials of Huanuco´s regional government favored the expansion of the mining industry in this area of the Amazon.

During a visit to the Pintuyacu stream, the digital media outlet, Página3, found evidence of high deforestation levels and machinery used to extract gold in the buffer zone of El Sira Communal Reserve, where mining activity is prohibited.

Between 2001 and 2022, more than 3,628,911 hectares of primary forest have been destroyed in the province of Puerto Inca due to mining and forestry activities, according to GeoBosques, the Ministry of Environment's forest monitoring program.

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This story was produced with support from Internews' Earth Journalism Network. It was first published in Página3 on July 5, 2024. It has been translated to English and lightly edited for length and clarity.

Banner image: Mining destroying the forest in Puerto Inca / Credit: Eduardo Arias.