New research published in the journal Environmental Research Letters reveals that artisan gold mining in the southern Peruvian Amazon has caused more destruction to carbon-rich peatlands in the past two years than in the previous three decades combined, posing a serious threat to the environment and climate.

For decades, small-scale gold mining has thrived along the rivers of the Madre de Dios region, driven by gold frequently found in the surrounding soils. While the deforestation caused by mining has already resulted in significant carbon emissions, scientists have now discovered that the damage goes even deeper—literally.

Using over 35 years of satellite data from NASA’s Landsat program, researchers tracked the spread of gold mining into Amazonian peatlands, which store large amounts of carbon underground.

The findings are alarming: more than 550 hectares of peatland have been destroyed, releasing between 0.2 and 0.7 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere. Shockingly, over 55% of this damage has occurred in just the past two years, surpassing the cumulative destruction from all previous decades.

Peatlands are vital because they hold carbon more densely than forests. In fact, the peatlands in this region store as much carbon as forests would on an area seven times larger. This means that even small areas of peatland loss can have a big impact on greenhouse gas emissions.

Mining in peatlands currently makes up about 9% of all mining activity in the region, but it’s growing fast. If the trend continues, peatland mining could account for 25% of total mining by 2027. Already, 63 out of 219 peatland areas have been affected, putting over 10,000 hectares at immediate risk. This could lead to the release of up to 14.5 million tons of carbon—equivalent to the annual emissions of millions of cars.

It was not until 2012 that these peatlands in southern Peru were known to science. Only a decade later, the very same group of scientists that provided the original description of these peats are now describing the beginning of their demise. The data paints a discouraging picture for the future.

Dr. John Householder, corresponding author of the study, explains, “Mining is spreading fast into these fragile areas because it has become easier to reach these remote mining spots, and there just isn’t enough law enforcement to protect the area. If we don’t slow down the destruction, the damage to the Amazon’s peatlands could be permanent, with serious environmental, social, and economic impacts down the line.

“There are many other sites where considerable amounts of peat are suspected, but the ground data to test these suspicions is simply unavailable.

“What our paper shows is that even within a human generation, it is quite possible that large peat deposits can disappear from the landscape, before science has had a chance to describe them. For those peat deposits that are already known, these research findings are a wake-up call to protect them.”