Changes land use due alluvial gold mining and climate variability in Malinowski basin from 1984 to 2025, Madre de Dios-Peru

Resumen

Alluvial gold mining is one of the main drivers of land use change and environmental degradation in Peru's southern Amazon region. In the Malinowski River basin (Madre de Dios), this activity has caused the accelerated loss of primary forests, which affects essential processes for regulating the local climate. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between mining expansion, deforestation, and climate variability from 1984 to 2025. Landsat images were processed using QGIS and Google Earth Engine (GEE) to calculate the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and detect changes in vegetation cover over time. SENAMHI climate records were used to assess climate trends. The results revealed a progressive loss of forest cover with peaks between 2015 and 2018 and sustained mining area expansion, even during years of overall deforestation and land use change reduction. A positive correlation was found between deforestation and land use change (r = 0.85; p < 0.001), as well as moderate associations between rising temperatures and mining expansion (r = 0.30–0.63). Additionally, a strong negative correlation was identified between annual rainfall and mining activity (r = −0.80; p = 0.003), suggesting that loss of forest cover reduces evapotranspiration and affects local moisture flows. We conclude that the expansion of alluvial gold mining in the Malinowski River basin primarily drives land use changes and local environmental degradation. The progressive loss of forest cover associated with this activity transforms the landscape and alters the biophysical processes that regulate the regional climate.