{"id":4027,"date":"2026-04-15T17:59:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T17:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/?p=4027"},"modified":"2026-04-20T10:03:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T10:03:09","slug":"the-amazons-silent-crime-crisis-commentary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/?p=4027","title":{"rendered":"The Amazon&#8217;s silent crime crisis (commentary)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"post-317585\">\n<div class=\"bulletpoints-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"bulletpoints\">\n<ul>\n<li><em>The Amazon is approaching a critical tipping point, where deforestation, degradation, fire, and climate change together risk pushing large areas toward irreversible ecological collapse.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>A growing nexus between organized crime and environmental crime is accelerating forest loss, distorting economies, and undermining governance across the basin.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Addressing the crisis requires more than conservation alone: stronger enforcement, institutional reform, and investment in a sustainable socio-bioeconomy are essential, argue Carlos Nobre, Robert Muggah and Ilona Szabo.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of Mongabay.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><button class=\"content-expander\"><span>See All Key Ideas<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Amazon is approaching a dangerous threshold. Long understood as the world\u2019s largest tropical forest and a critical regulator of the global climate, its future is\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.project-syndicate.org\/commentary\/environmental-crime-is-rampant-economic-political-criminal-justice-implications-by-robert-muggah-and-ilona-szabo-2025-06\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.project-syndicate.org\/commentary\/environmental-crime-is-rampant-economic-political-criminal-justice-implications-by-robert-muggah-and-ilona-szabo-2025-06&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1776355743818000&#038;usg=AOvVaw1cuqAswCeg4UdRp6J25EPG\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">increasingly shaped<\/a>\u00a0by the convergence of organized crime and environmental crime. This nexus is accelerating deforestation and degradation, worsening fire risk, undermining governance, and weakening the economic foundations needed to sustain the region.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Approaching a tipping point<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For decades, debate over the Amazon has centered on land-use change driven by agricultural expansion and cattle ranching. These pressures remain decisive. The advance of soy cultivation and pasture continues to fragment forests and disrupt rainfall cycles. When deforestation and degradation interact with climate change and fire, many scientists warn that parts of the Amazon\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bas.ac.uk\/blogpost\/carbon-sink-or-carbon-source-science-flights-over-the-changing-amazon-rainforest\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.bas.ac.uk\/blogpost\/carbon-sink-or-carbon-source-science-flights-over-the-changing-amazon-rainforest\/&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1776355743818000&#038;usg=AOvVaw2gCXqcwuKLxDZ8qMb9PxkZ\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">especially in the eastern and southern basin<\/a>\u2014could move toward an irreversible transition to a far more degraded, savannah-like state.<\/p>\n<p>A widely cited body of research suggests that such a tipping dynamic may emerge when deforestation reaches roughly\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/sciadv.aat2340\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/sciadv.aat2340&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1776355743818000&#038;usg=AOvVaw0Vk3tF9L2lB7rcij87cuNf\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">20 to 25 percent<\/a>\u00a0in some parts of the basin, especially when compounded by rising temperatures, drought, and recurrent fire. About\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/science.org\/doi\/pdf\/10.1126\/science.abo5003?amp ,__cf_chl_tk=NQFhvnDs1TJW9keGl0EvBPgiq1azI8zEice2WW0jtdg-1775669462-1.0.1.1-VpnHJHX5xyOg_D4h6wPbiL.0JDjyqm2t6J.lUQMPCfo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"http:\/\/science.org\/doi\/pdf\/10.1126\/science.abo5003?utm_source%3Dchatgpt.com%26__cf_chl_tk%3DNQFhvnDs1TJW9keGl0EvBPgiq1azI8zEice2WW0jtdg-1775669462-1.0.1.1-VpnHJHX5xyOg_D4h6wPbiL.0JDjyqm2t6J.lUQMPCfo&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1776355743818000&#038;usg=AOvVaw2a4qBaD9HdaRFfb9WKLne5\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">14\u201317%<\/a>\u00a0of the Amazon has been cleared, depending on definition and geography. The broader scientific message is clear: continued forest loss and degradation sharply increase the likelihood of large-scale ecological disruption.<\/p>\n<p>Many scientists\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bas.ac.uk\/blogpost\/carbon-sink-or-carbon-source-science-flights-over-the-changing-amazon-rainforest\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.bas.ac.uk\/blogpost\/carbon-sink-or-carbon-source-science-flights-over-the-changing-amazon-rainforest\/&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1776355743818000&#038;usg=AOvVaw2gCXqcwuKLxDZ8qMb9PxkZ\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">warn<\/a>\u00a0that parts of the Amazon, especially the eastern and southern basin, are approaching dangerous thresholds once deforestation, degradation, fire and warming are considered together. Large-scale degraded areas scorched by fires, stripped by logging and desiccated by drought add a further\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s43247-024-01205-0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s43247-024-01205-0&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1776355743818000&#038;usg=AOvVaw2LeODduvHNw06ITbx79nXZ\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">layer of fragility<\/a>\u00a0that headline deforestation figures do not fully capture.<\/p>\n<p>Yet focusing only on the expansion of agricultural and ranching frontiers risks missing a deeper transformation underway. Across the basin, a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/igarape.org.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/The-ecosystem-of-environmental-crime-in-the-Amazon.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/igarape.org.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/The-ecosystem-of-environmental-crime-in-the-Amazon.pdf&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1776355743818000&#038;usg=AOvVaw2r4BeH2loIM--QBC8T3Len\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">sprawling illicit economy<\/a>\u00a0has taken root, linking land grabbing, illegal logging, illegal gold mining, wildlife trafficking, unregulated agriculture and ranching, and associated crimes such as extortion, corruption, and money laundering. These activities are not always isolated or local. In many areas, they are increasingly\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/igarape.org.br\/en\/the-drugs-crime-nexus-in-the-amazon-basin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/igarape.org.br\/en\/the-drugs-crime-nexus-in-the-amazon-basin\/&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1776355743818000&#038;usg=AOvVaw1abQLjzFbibrhmMbCFNX07\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">coordinated, diversified and transnational<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Crime as a business model<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The spread of criminal governance is one of the most important and least appreciated dynamics reshaping the Amazon today. Organized crime groups generally associated with narcotics are\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/news.trust.org\/item\/20220425092759-d6kci\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/news.trust.org\/item\/20220425092759-d6kci\/&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1776355743818000&#038;usg=AOvVaw2GkuwOr6U-LWfTOrr7fDLq\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">embedding themselves<\/a>\u00a0in environmental markets. In some cases, they occupy public lands, clear forests, extract timber, move into illegal mining,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.interpol.int\/Resources\/INTERPOL-Spotlight\/Spotlight-Issue-4-Innovation\/Impact-Tracking-illegal-gold-in-the-Amazon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.interpol.int\/Resources\/INTERPOL-Spotlight\/Spotlight-Issue-4-Innovation\/Impact-Tracking-illegal-gold-in-the-Amazon&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1776355743818000&#038;usg=AOvVaw04c13wUCrmsbdqpwfyGfeo\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">launder gold<\/a>\u00a0through formal supply chains, and speculate on land values once roads and infrastructure follow. This is not simply opportunism. It reflects an increasingly diversified criminal business model.<\/p>\n<p>High\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bullion-rates.com\/gold\/USD\/2026-3-history.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.bullion-rates.com\/gold\/USD\/2026-3-history.htm&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1776355743818000&#038;usg=AOvVaw1f1VHs9elTR15MuHeEY016\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">gold prices<\/a>\u00a0and wider geopolitical instability have reinforced these incentives. Illegal gold mining is\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/igarape.org.br\/en\/issues\/climate-security\/illegal-gold-mining-in-the-amazon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/igarape.org.br\/en\/issues\/climate-security\/illegal-gold-mining-in-the-amazon\/&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1776355743818000&#038;usg=AOvVaw0y8VAmsV_1kmVr1YeF5aTe\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">especially attractive<\/a>\u00a0to criminal networks because it offers high returns, low transport costs relative to value, and access to legal markets through which illicit production can be laundered. Over the past decade, gold prices\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gold.org\/goldhub\/data\/gold-prices\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.gold.org\/goldhub\/data\/gold-prices&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1776355743818000&#038;usg=AOvVaw3qaZpX1a-0coZrZH8rRyvW\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">have doubled<\/a>, increasing the profitability of illegal extraction across the Amazon basin.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_272952\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A satellite image of Madre de Dios shows two rivers coming together: one mined and the other unmined. The bright caramel color helped researchers identify mining activity on a global scale. Image courtesy of Miles Silman\/Arizona State University GCDS\/Planet Labs.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>That windfall flows directly into the forest. In 2024, Brazilian Federal Police estimated that around 25 percent of the roughly\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.interpol.int\/Resources\/INTERPOL-Spotlight\/Spotlight-Issue-4-Innovation\/Impact-Tracking-illegal-gold-in-the-Amazon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.interpol.int\/Resources\/INTERPOL-Spotlight\/Spotlight-Issue-4-Innovation\/Impact-Tracking-illegal-gold-in-the-Amazon&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1776355743818000&#038;usg=AOvVaw04c13wUCrmsbdqpwfyGfeo\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">85 tons of gold<\/a>\u00a0circulating in Brazil\u2019s market was illegally mined. In Peru, the proportion is also alarming \u2014 financial regulators\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/thedialogue.org\/analysis\/why-has-peru-struggled-to-limit-illegal-gold-mining\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/thedialogue.org\/analysis\/why-has-peru-struggled-to-limit-illegal-gold-mining&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1776355743818000&#038;usg=AOvVaw2ZnQkROBBCWnaRVmPzPT2d\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">estimate<\/a>\u00a0that around 40 percent of the country\u2019s $15.5bn in gold exports in 2024 originated from illicit sources. There, illegal mining is spreading into new river systems in the Loreto and Ucayali regions, reaching territories previously untouched.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Geopolitical turbulence, criminal opportunity<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The same geopolitical volatility that is driving investors towards gold as a safe-haven asset is, paradoxically,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/igarape.org.br\/en\/issues\/climate-security\/illegal-gold-mining-in-the-amazon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/igarape.org.br\/en\/issues\/climate-security\/illegal-gold-mining-in-the-amazon\/&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1776355743818000&#038;usg=AOvVaw0y8VAmsV_1kmVr1YeF5aTe\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">benefiting<\/a>\u00a0<wbr\/>criminal networks operating in remote forest areas. When markets are anxious, as they have been since the escalation of war in Iran and the Gulf injected\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.weforum.org\/stories\/2026\/03\/the-global-price-tag-of-war-in-the-middle-east\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.weforum.org\/stories\/2026\/03\/the-global-price-tag-of-war-in-the-middle-east\/&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1776355743818000&#038;usg=AOvVaw2Bxutroprgv_AHj0f_oRCa\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">fresh uncertainty<\/a>\u00a0into global commodity prices, the black-market premium for gold widens. Physical bullion becomes easier to launder, and criminal groups grow bolder.<\/p>\n<p>In Brazil, major organized crime groups such as the Comando Vermelho (CV) and Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) have expanded their involvement in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.interpol.int\/Resources\/INTERPOL-Spotlight\/Spotlight-Issue-4-Innovation\/Impact-Tracking-illegal-gold-in-the-Amazon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.interpol.int\/Resources\/INTERPOL-Spotlight\/Spotlight-Issue-4-Innovation\/Impact-Tracking-illegal-gold-in-the-Amazon&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1776355743818000&#038;usg=AOvVaw04c13wUCrmsbdqpwfyGfeo\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">illegally mining<\/a>\u00a0and related supply chains. Gold does not simply replace narcotics. It serves a different but highly complementary function: as a source of revenue, a store of value, and a commodity that can be\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2023\/05\/09\/1174343655\/opinion-gold-rush-amazon-brazil\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2023\/05\/09\/1174343655\/opinion-gold-rush-amazon-brazil&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1776355743818000&#038;usg=AOvVaw1DEUGwsd8GP-OJKxymaEdX\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">integrated into legal markets<\/a>\u00a0with relative ease when enforcement is weak.<\/p>\n<p>The result is a powerful feedback loop. Environmental degradation creates opportunities for criminal profit, while criminal governance\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/2024\/12\/16\/amazon-pcc-cartels-indigenous-mining\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/2024\/12\/16\/amazon-pcc-cartels-indigenous-mining\/&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1776355743818000&#038;usg=AOvVaw0l14HE4SZk3CUdqYau32oi\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">accelerates\u00a0<\/a>environ<wbr\/>mental destruction. In many remote parts of the Amazon, illicit networks effectively substitute for the state, controlling territory, labour, logistics, and access to resources. Violence against Indigenous communities, local leaders, and environmental defenders is often the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/igarape.org.br\/en\/issues\/climate-security\/defenders-of-the-amazon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/igarape.org.br\/en\/issues\/climate-security\/defenders-of-the-amazon\/&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1776355743818000&#038;usg=AOvVaw2ECy4INiAs7a54YP6JPov4\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">clearest expression<\/a>\u00a0of these dynamics. What may appear from afar as a conservation crisis is, in reality, also a governance and security crisis.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A governance crisis, not just an environmental one<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Until recently, the convergence of organized crime and environmental crime received too little attention in international climate and biodiversity debates. That is beginning to change. The 2023\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br\/en\/geral\/noticia\/2023-08\/presidents-eight-amazon-countries-sign-belem-declaration\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br\/en\/geral\/noticia\/2023-08\/presidents-eight-amazon-countries-sign-belem-declaration&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1776355743818000&#038;usg=AOvVaw1qMq8ktAdvbB3KZaVy203f\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Bel\u00e9m Declaration<\/a>\u00a0marked an important shift by explicitly linking protection of the Amazon to action against illegal land grabbing, mining, logging and other illicit activities, while warning against an ecological point of no return. More recently, the COP process and the zero deforestation agenda has\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/cop30.br\/en\/unfccc-announces-cop30-presidency-consultations-on-roadmaps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/cop30.br\/en\/unfccc-announces-cop30-presidency-consultations-on-roadmaps&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1776355743818000&#038;usg=AOvVaw2_RbTcDrJ4cwj1cPtJwZx_\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">created an opportunity<\/a>\u00a0to place enforcement, transparency, and cross-border cooperation closer to the center of the climate agenda.<\/p>\n<p>A notable institutional signal is now coming from Brazil\u2019s Supreme Court. In a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/noticias.stf.jus.br\/postsnoticias\/stf-determina-que-uniao-adote-medidas-repressivas-contra-organizacoes-criminosas-na-amazonia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/noticias.stf.jus.br\/postsnoticias\/stf-determina-que-uniao-adote-medidas-repressivas-contra-organizacoes-criminosas-na-amazonia\/&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1776355743819000&#038;usg=AOvVaw3YJn6vcvfZ7CvPFv-exnqT\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">recent decision<\/a>, Justice\u00a0Fl\u00e1vio Dino ordered the federal government to immediately adopt stronger repressive measures against criminal organizations operating in the Amazon, explicitly recognizing that their expansion\u00a0is\u00a0a\u00a0driver of\u00a0environmental crime. The ruling requires concrete action by the Federal Police, Federal Highway Police and\u00a0Ibama, alongside joint operations with state police and an expanded security presence in critical territories, especially border areas.<\/p>\n<p>The implications of criminal expansion in the Amazon for climate stability are profound. The Amazon helps generate its own rainfall through\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0168192324001552\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0168192324001552&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1776355743819000&#038;usg=AOvVaw1odtH3dImPe1YOodx_OvD0\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">evapotranspiration and moisture recycling<\/a>, sustaining not only forest ecosystems but also agricultural systems across much of South America. Continued deforestation and degradation risk disrupting these\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/acp.copernicus.org\/articles\/14\/13337\/2014\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/acp.copernicus.org\/articles\/14\/13337\/2014\/&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1776355743819000&#038;usg=AOvVaw3L_QQTgbDpFN7yjwuKUtvZ\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">hydrological cycles<\/a>, reducing precipitation, intensifying droughts, and increasing the frequency and severity of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.preventionweb.net\/news\/brazil-speeding-fire-prevention-avoid-amazon-tipping-points\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.preventionweb.net\/news\/brazil-speeding-fire-prevention-avoid-amazon-tipping-points&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1776355743819000&#038;usg=AOvVaw2enbdPe8q-W46jriusElWk\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">extreme fires<\/a>. In some areas, the forest is already\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s43247-024-01205-0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s43247-024-01205-0&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1776355743819000&#038;usg=AOvVaw0GjdzGHzGDv0PUe1jf-sjR\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">losing its capacity<\/a>\u00a0to function as a reliable carbon sink.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_243209\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-243209\" src=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/The-Amazons-silent-crime-crisis-commentary.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/The-Amazons-silent-crime-crisis-commentary.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/06\/01113409\/amazon_201270-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/06\/01113409\/amazon_201270-610x407.jpg 610w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/06\/01113409\/amazon_201270-350x233.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rainforest clearing for coca in the Colombian Amazon. Image by Rhett A. Butler.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The economic consequences are also greater than is often understood. Criminalized forest economies distort markets,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/valorinternational.globo.com\/environment\/news\/2025\/05\/26\/environmental-crime-scares-away-green-capital-from-amazon.ghtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/valorinternational.globo.com\/environment\/news\/2025\/05\/26\/environmental-crime-scares-away-green-capital-from-amazon.ghtml&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1776355743819000&#038;usg=AOvVaw03Kr2jxk_8Bn6-3pd9gg3C\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">deter investment,<\/a>\u00a0and suppress legitimate enterprise. They increase transaction costs, deepen uncertainty, and erode the rule of law. Organized environmental crime does not only destroy forests. It also undermines the conditions required for productive, legal, and inclusive development.<\/p>\n<p>This has direct implications for the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wri.org\/research\/new-economy-brazil-amazon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.wri.org\/research\/new-economy-brazil-amazon&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1776355743819000&#038;usg=AOvVaw2b2QMuTBfAe3eI4Q3EQMhP\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">emerging Amazon socio-bioeconomy<\/a>, often presented as the region\u2019s most promising development pathway. Sustainable forestry, non-timber forest products, restoration initiatives, carbon projects, and nature-based solutions all depend on secure land tenure, transparent supply chains, and effective governance. Where criminal networks dominate, these conditions are weak or absent. Climate and nature finance still often underestimate these risks. Insecure tenure, illegal extraction, corruption, and criminal control over territory can erode the viability of restoration, regeneration, and bioeconomy investments before they even begin.<\/p>\n<p>In some cases, these risks are already materialising. Illegal mining\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/eia.org\/press-releases\/toxic-tons-the-largest-flow-of-illegal-mercury-to-the-amazon-exposed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/eia.org\/press-releases\/toxic-tons-the-largest-flow-of-illegal-mercury-to-the-amazon-exposed\/&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1776355743819000&#038;usg=AOvVaw3YGyIs5l4Cv6sP5fTslbU_\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">contaminates rivers with mercury<\/a>, compromising fisheries, food systems, and public health. Land grabbing inflates land values and displaces communities, complicating regularization and reducing investor confidence. Corruption weakens enforcement and compliance, while money laundering enables illegal actors to recycle profits into nominally legitimate sectors. These are not marginal distortions. They are structural barriers to a lower-carbon, forest-based economy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>De-risking the Amazon<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Encouragingly, enforcement and compliance measures have increased in several countries. Governments are expanding satellite monitoring, strengthening environmental agencies, targeting illegal mining infrastructure, and improving cross-border cooperation. Police, customs authorities, financial intelligence units, and environmental prosecutors are\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/news.mongabay.com\/2024\/05\/several-governments-are-ramping-up-actions-to-fight-environmental-crime-across-the-amazon-basin-but-is-it-working-commentary\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/news.mongabay.com\/2024\/05\/several-governments-are-ramping-up-actions-to-fight-environmental-crime-across-the-amazon-basin-but-is-it-working-commentary\/&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1776355743819000&#038;usg=AOvVaw0nqIvycYeL_lcUhgDeZzJ8\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">paying closer attention<\/a>\u00a0to the links between organized crime and environmental destruction. This is necessary and overdue.<\/p>\n<p>But enforcement alone will not resolve the crisis. A durable response requires a broader strategy to de-risk Amazonian territories, making them more attractive to sustainable investment and less hospitable to criminal activity. That means closing governance gaps, strengthening institutions, and ensuring that local communities have viable economic alternatives. A new initiative launched by the Inter-American Development Bank, Rockefeller Foundation and Igarape Institute called \u201cDerisking\u00a0Amazonia\u201d recognizes that territorial security and economic transformation must go hand in hand.<\/p>\n<p>The scale of opportunity is significant. Recent\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wri.org\/insights\/brazilian-amazon-indigenous-bioeconomy-takes-root\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.wri.org\/insights\/brazilian-amazon-indigenous-bioeconomy-takes-root&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1776355743819000&#038;usg=AOvVaw2Ota5ePkZwujH7WG6LvwPj\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">modelling<\/a>\u00a0suggests that a deforestation-free, low-carbon development pathway in the Brazilian Amazon could generate hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in annual economic value over time. Similar opportunities exist across the wider basin in restoration, regenerative agriculture, fisheries, forest-compatible value chains, and bio-based industries. These are not guaranteed outcomes, but they point to real\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/files.unsdsn.org\/230811-PB-Bioeconomy-EN-approved2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/files.unsdsn.org\/230811-PB-Bioeconomy-EN-approved2.pdf&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1776355743819000&#038;usg=AOvVaw156Bk2N_v-BkrTNLqaBKGK\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">pathways<\/a>\u00a0for aligning conservation with jobs, incomes, and growth.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Fixing the fundamentals<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Unlocking that potential depends on addressing the underlying conditions that allow illicit economies to flourish. Land tenure insecurity remains central. Large areas of the Amazon lack clear ownership or are subject to overlapping claims, creating fertile ground for land grabbing and speculation. Strengthening cadastral systems and recognizing Indigenous and community land rights are essential first steps.<\/p>\n<p>Supply-chain transparency is equally important. Remote sensing, digital traceability, and stronger due diligence can help verify the origin of commodities\u2014from timber and cattle to gold\u2014reducing the laundering of illegal products into legal markets. Financial institutions also have a critical role to play by tightening compliance, identifying suspicious transactions, and pricing governance risk more realistically. At the local level, investment in education, infrastructure, public services, and livelihoods is indispensable. Communities with limited economic options are more vulnerable to recruitment and coercion by criminal networks.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_305485\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-wide wp-image-305485\" src=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776679385_58_The-Amazons-silent-crime-crisis-commentary.jpg\" alt=\"Rainforest in the Western Amazon. Image by Rhett Ayers Butler\" width=\"1200\" height=\"899\" srcset=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776679385_58_The-Amazons-silent-crime-crisis-commentary.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/09\/05142002\/07-amazon_241209040251z-768x575.jpg 768w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/09\/05142002\/07-amazon_241209040251z-1536x1151.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/09\/05142002\/07-amazon_241209040251z-2048x1534.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/09\/05142002\/07-amazon_241209040251z-610x457.jpg 610w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rainforest in the Western Amazon. Image by Rhett Ayers Butler<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Amazon is often framed as a global public good, a reservoir of biodiversity and a regulator of the Earth\u2019s climate. That is true. But it is also home to almost\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.org\/en-us\/about-us\/where-we-work\/priority-landscapes\/priority-landscape-stories\/protecting-amazon-rainforest-basin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.nature.org\/en-us\/about-us\/where-we-work\/priority-landscapes\/priority-landscape-stories\/protecting-amazon-rainforest-basin\/&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1776355743819000&#038;usg=AOvVaw0RdSWev6VhBoA6NSSI1JS5\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">50 million residents<\/a>, including over 2.2 million indigenous people, in over 900 cities whose futures are intertwined with the forest. Any strategy to protect it must be grounded in the realities of those territories.<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.unodc.org\/res\/WDR-2023\/Research_Brief_Amazon_FINAL.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.unodc.org\/res\/WDR-2023\/Research_Brief_Amazon_FINAL.pdf&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1776355743819000&#038;usg=AOvVaw2e8Kh3dkdaGCCMl2UFFter\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">convergence<\/a>\u00a0of organized crime and environmental crime is now one of the gravest threats facing the basin. It is reshaping landscapes, economies, and governance systems in ways that are increasingly difficult to reverse. Preventing an ecological tipping point will require more than slowing deforestation and degradation. It will require confronting the illicit systems that drive and profit from forest destruction.<\/p>\n<p>The stakes could hardly be higher. If the Amazon crosses critical ecological thresholds, the consequences will be felt far beyond South America through disrupted weather patterns, weaker agricultural productivity, and faster climate change around the world. If, instead, the region can move toward a more secure, lawful, and sustainable socio-bioeconomy, it could become a cornerstone of climate stability and inclusive development. The future of the Amazon is not only an environmental question. It is also a question of security, governance, and sustainable economic transformation.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>See related coverage:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"5AD91a1zTB\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.mongabay.com\/2026\/04\/tracking-environmental-crime-in-the-amazon-a-conversation-with-alexa-velez\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">Tracking environmental crime in the Amazon: A conversation with Alexa V\u00e9lez<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute , visibility: hidden ,\" title=\"\u201cTracking environmental crime in the Amazon: A conversation with Alexa V\u00e9lez\u201d \u2014 Conservation news\" src=\"https:\/\/news.mongabay.com\/2026\/04\/tracking-environmental-crime-in-the-amazon-a-conversation-with-alexa-velez\/embed\/#?secret=3l8Ni40jC1#?secret=5AD91a1zTB\" data-secret=\"5AD91a1zTB\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"tKdlyD2cv5\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.mongabay.com\/2026\/03\/as-traditional-forest-governance-erodes-in-peru-ghost-permits-fill-the-vacuum\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">As traditional forest governance erodes in Peru, \u2018ghost permits\u2019 fill the vacuum<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute , visibility: hidden ,\" title=\"\u201cAs traditional forest governance erodes in Peru, \u2018ghost permits\u2019 fill the vacuum\u201d \u2014 Conservation news\" src=\"https:\/\/news.mongabay.com\/2026\/03\/as-traditional-forest-governance-erodes-in-peru-ghost-permits-fill-the-vacuum\/embed\/#?secret=o1UrozsVjI#?secret=tKdlyD2cv5\" data-secret=\"tKdlyD2cv5\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div id=\"single-article-footer\">\n<div class=\"container in-column about-editor-translator gap--40 pv--80\">\n<div class=\"container grid--3 repeat gap--40\">\n<div class=\"in-row gap--16\">\n<div class=\"author-avatar\">\n                    <img alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/How-Amazon-communities-built-their-own-power-systems.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a81409e64d34c22fc5eb136dcb9eb756ce6393a217056782ac4dec4b7f76f1f2?s=64&#038;d=identicon&#038;r=g 2x\" class=\"avatar avatar-32 photo\" height=\"32\" width=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/>        <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<p>                            <span class=\"article-comments\"><a href=\"\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\"\/><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Amazon is approaching a critical tipping point, where deforestation, degradation, fire, and climate change together risk pushing large areas toward irreversible ecological collapse. A growing nexus between organized crime and environmental crime is accelerating forest loss, distorting economies, and undermining governance across the basin. Addressing the crisis requires more than conservation alone: stronger enforcement, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4028,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[82],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4027","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nature-biodiversity"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4027","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4027"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4027\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4029,"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4027\/revisions\/4029"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4028"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4027"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}