Pure Earth Peru and the Wyss Academy for Nature are joining forces to implement restoration models that recover ecosystems, reduce the impacts of mercury, and create new income opportunities for mining families.

Madre de Dios is a diverse and complex territory, home to unique biodiversity, Indigenous communities, and an economy shaped by extractive activities that represent major challenges for forest conservation and for the well-being of the people who depend on these forests and landscapes. In Tambopata, this coexistence is clearly reflected in the landscape and in everyday life: forests are retreating in areas that were once covered by vegetation, while mercury, widely used in artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM), leaves a silent footprint on water, soil, and people’s health.

ASM, one of the region’s main income-generating activities, is also associated with serious environmental and public health concerns. On the one hand, it accounts for nearly 50% of the regional GDP and supports more than 46,000 people. On the other, it is linked to deforestation and mercury pollution with cumulative impacts. In this context, the response cannot be simplistic. It is not only about prohibition, but about enabling real transitions toward more responsible and fair practices capable of restoring degraded areas, bringing life back to the soil, and opening economic alternatives that can coexist with the forest.

It is within this complexity that Pure Earth Peru and the Wyss Academy for Nature have signed an agreement to design productive restoration models that reduce the impacts of mercury on the environment and human health, while also generating new income opportunities for families who depend on ASM.

Rodrigo Velarde, Country Director of Pure Earth Peru, added: “In contexts such as Madre de Dios, where mining is part of the territory’s economic and social dynamics, it is essential to promote realistic solutions that start from that reality. At Pure Earth Peru, we work to support improvement processes in artisanal and small-scale mining, promoting more responsible practices, the reduction of mercury use, and the generation of alternatives that contribute both to people’s health and to environmental protection. We are very pleased to begin this partnership, as it represents a concrete opportunity to continue advancing these actions."

Through this collaboration, both organizations seek to generate technical evidence and develop replicable models that contribute to the sustainable management of degraded landscapes.

The goal is to demonstrate that it is possible to move from degraded territories to restored landscapes through integrated approaches that connect productive regeneration, mercury pollution reduction, and the well-being of local communities.