Turberas Tropicales

Alliance for Ecological Solutions for Tropical Peatlands (ASETT)

Projects

Hydrological effects of mining in the Amazon and their implications for the production of mercury and greenhouse gases

2023 – 2025

National Geographic Society

Arizona State University, University of Southern California, National Amazonian University of Madre de Dios
Madre de Dios, Perú

Gold mining has become one of the main environmental threats in the Amazon region, including peatlands and forests. The complete transformation of the Amazonian landscape caused by mining can have far-reaching consequences. The issue of mining’s effects has received little coverage in terms of chemical, microbial, and greenhouse gas emissions. In this active study, we use landscape measurements, emissions, and molecular tools to understand these changes and transform this information into proposals for changes and techniques to restore or promote the creation of peatlands in areas affected by mining.