Runashitu, a small Indigenous village nestled alongside the Napo River in Ecuador’s Amazon region, used to be a safe place, according to Nely Shiguango, who has lived there for decades. Residents could once wander freely whenever they wanted, but in recent years, many of them have lived in fear.
The village has seen a decline in arable land and an increase in illness, while nearby communities have experienced more kidnappings and killings—all because of a surge in illegal gold mining in the area, Shiguango said. Napo province, where Runashitu is located, recorded 19 homicides last year, nearly twice the number in 2024.
Illegal gold mining is rapidly expanding in the Amazon rainforest. By 2023, the industry was believed to be worth as much as $12 billion annually across South America, according to a report in part authored by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.
An activist, Shiguango has sought to educate members of her Kichwa Indigenous community on the dangers of illegal gold mining for years and has helped to spearhead local regulations for land management. She expressed disdain toward the organized crime groups that have moved onto Kichwa lands, extracting gold without permission or regard for environmental safeguards.
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