Peatland destruction accelerating in the Amazon

Small-scale gold mining in the Peruvian Amazon is destroying peatlands at a “catastrophic rate”, according to a March 2025 study, which shows that in the past two years more peatlands have been destroyed in the region than in the previous 30 years combined, releasing between 200,000 and 700,000 tons of carbon dioxide. The loss of peatlands, which have seven times the carbon storage capacity of forests, could accelerate global warming. If mining trends continue, peatland mining will account for 25 per cent of all mining in the region by 2027, releasing an estimated 14.5 million tons of carbon dioxide, equivalent to the annual emissions of millions of cars.