Minister of the Environment Vladimiro Huaroc reported that the government has succeeded in expelling 95% of illegal miners from buffer zones and protected natural areas targeted by recent interventions. This follows a joint operation in La Pampa, Madre de Dios, involving the National Police, the Army, and the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
“We are working in the buffer zones. We have achieved a 95% success rate in expelling these individuals, and we will continue our efforts. However, I must reiterate that this is a joint endeavor—involving intelligence, police and military support, and legal action by the Public Prosecutor’s Office—without which we would be unable to take effective action,” he stated.
The head of the Ministry of the Environment (Minam) made these remarks during a joint operation against illegal mining in La Pampa. He noted that this intervention marks the 66th operation carried out under his tenure within buffer zones and protected natural areas.
Furthermore, he confirmed that all seven protected natural areas that had been encroached upon at the start of his administration have now been cleared. The Minister emphasized that the fight against this activity requires coordinated work among state institutions, adding that interventions will continue until illegal mining is completely eradicated.
Public Prosecutor’s Office
For his part, Prosecutor Tomás Aladino Gálvez noted that interdiction efforts against illegal mining are carried out through coordination between the Ministry of the Environment (Minam), the National Service of State-Protected Natural Areas (Sernanp), the National Police, the Army, and other institutions.
However, he cautioned that such interventions remain insufficient unless a permanent state presence is guaranteed in the recovered areas; the high profitability of illegal mining allows offenders to quickly replace any machinery—such as engines and dredges—that has been destroyed.
“It is necessary to secure the territory to ensure continuity—maintaining a presence on the ground to prevent and stop this activity from continuing. However, as I mentioned, any current efforts remain insufficient. We hope that, starting next year, these efforts will be more extensive and robust, allowing us to at least significantly reduce the scourge of illegal mining,” he noted.
According to information from the sector, this progress is part of the National Strategy to Combat Illegal Mining in Protected Natural Areas. It involves coordinated action by Sernanp, the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Environmental Matters, the National Police (PNP), the Army, and the General Directorate of Captaincies and Coast Guard of the Peruvian Navy.
It should be noted that La Pampa, located in the Madre de Dios region, is one of the primary hubs for illegal mining in the Peruvian Amazon—an activity that causes damage to forests and bodies of water.
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