Peru's Election and the Overlooked Crisis of Illegal Mining
As Peruvians voted to elect a new president and Congress, an analysis of campaign platforms indicates that illegal mining—a major economic activity with significant environmental and health impacts—received limited attention from most political parties.
The Scale of the Issue
According to 2025 projections by the Peruvian Institute of Economics, illegal mining generated more than $11.5 billion and accounted for over 100 tons of gold exports.
Multiple sources describe this economic scale as rivaling Peru's formal mining sector and surpassing drug trafficking in value. The activity has expanded from regions like Madre de Dios into other parts of the Amazon and Indigenous territories. Analysts cite high gold prices, reaching approximately $4,500 to $5,000 per ounce, as a key driver of this expansion.
Analysis of Campaign Proposals
A March analysis by Peru's Observatory of Illegal Mining found that only 12 of the 36 registered political parties presented specific proposals to address illegal mining.
According to Magaly Ávila of the anti-corruption group Proetica, approximately 64% of party platforms did not meaningfully address the issue, while about 5% did so clearly and explicitly.
- Candidates with Specific Proposals: Some candidates, including former ministers Jorge Nieto and Alfonso López Chau, proposed measures such as implementing gold traceability systems, using financial intelligence tools, and strengthening protections for environmental defenders.
- Candidates with Indirect or No Focus: Other candidates, including Keiko Fujimori, Rafael López Aliaga, and César Acuña, focused their platforms on security, economic growth, or extractive development without directly addressing illegal mining. Candidates Ricardo Belmont and Carlos Álvarez did not include the issue in their published plans.
Environmental and Health Impacts
Illegal mining operations frequently use mercury to extract gold, leading to contamination of rivers.
- Mariano Castro, Peru's former vice minister of environment, noted that in Amazonian river communities, between 50% and 70% of the diet consists of fish, which increases exposure to mercury.
- Environmental and health experts report that contamination levels in some regions already exceed safety standards, posing long-term neurological risks.
Governance and Enforcement Context
Peruvian authorities have announced operations against illegal mining in the past, but experts describe overall enforcement as limited.
- Lawmakers have repeatedly extended a temporary registry that allows informal miners to continue operating while seeking formalization. Critics of the system state it has been abused and has facilitated the expansion of illegal activity.
- Recent legislative changes have, according to rights groups, reduced the capacity of prosecutors and judges to pursue organized crime networks, including those involved in illegal mining.
- Analysts cite organized protests by small-scale miners demanding looser regulations as a factor complicating enforcement efforts.
A central vulnerability identified by experts is Peru's weak traceability system for gold. Julia Urrunaga of the Environmental Investigation Agency stated there is no comprehensive system to trace mining production, with authorities holding only fragmented pieces of information.
Expert Perspectives
- César Ipenza, Environmental Lawyer: "Political parties don't understand that illegal mining has become the country's main criminal activity and the one that moves the most money." Ipenza also suggested that some political actors may be involved in the illegal mining economy.
- Tabea Casique, Board Member of AIDESEP: "Illegal mining already puts at risk our health, biodiversity and ways of life. Most political parties are not taking this problem into account or presenting concrete proposals."
- Julia Urrunaga, Environmental Investigation Agency: "There is no real way to trace mining production in Peru... We are talking about more than $12 billion in illegal gold exports. How can this be happening in almost total impunity?"
- Magaly Ávila, Proetica: "Illegal mining and illicit economies are not being prioritized in government plans."
Government Response
The Associated Press reported contacting several Peruvian government entities for comment on illegal mining and Indigenous protections but did not receive a response by its publication deadline.