ScienceColombia's Illegal Alluvial Gold Mining Expands 4.5% in 2025
Colombia's mostly illegal alluvial gold mining area grew by 4.5% in 2025, reaching 118,410 hectares, according to a UNODC and government report. The 5,100-hectare increase marks the third consecutive year of growth, mainly on Afro-Colombian lands. Seventy-five percent of mining is illegal, 21% permitted, and 4% becoming legal. Mining also occurred in 30 Indigenous reserves.
HT World·



