In light of the expansion of mining concessions in the Nanay River basin, the Apostolic Vicariate of Iquitos (Peru) issued a strong statement in defense of this source of life for the Peruvian Amazon, reiterating the Church’s commitment to caring for our Common Home and protecting the rights of Amazonian communities.
Under the slogan “A Church That Listens, An Amazon That Flourishes,” the Vicariate expressed concern over the process of granting mining concessions within the Nanay River basin, despite the existence of regulations prohibiting such activities in the area.
The local Church noted that the Nanay River is the main and only source of drinking water for nearly half a million residents of the city of Iquitos, in addition to sustaining the lives of numerous riverside and indigenous communities. In this context, it warned that the expansion of mining activity poses a serious threat to the region’s health, biodiversity, and ecological balance.
The statement notes that experience in other Amazonian areas has shown that mining causes mercury pollution, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, social conflicts, and an increase in crime associated with illegal economies.
In light of this situation, the Apostolic Vicariate of Iquitos demands that the Geological, Mining and Metallurgy Institute (INGEMMET), the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM), and the Presidency of the Council of Ministers of Peru to immediately revoke the concessions granted in the Nanay River basin, to strictly enforce legislation prohibiting new mining applications, and to permanently eradicate the illegal dredges and camps that continue to degrade this ecosystem.
The document grounds its call in the Social Doctrine of the Church, recalling that the right to water is a fundamental human right upon which people’s lives, health, and dignity depend. It also recalls the teachings of Popes Benedict XVI, Francis, and Leo XIV, who have insisted that economic interests can never take precedence over the well-being of people and the care of creation.
We at the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA) join this prophetic voice of the Church in Iquitos and renew our commitment to defending Amazonian territories, caring for water sources, and protecting the peoples who inhabit the Amazon.
At a time when the region faces growing pressures from extractive industries, the defense of the Nanay River is also a defense of life, human rights, and the future of the entire Amazon.
