El otro rostro del oro: minería informal y poder en el Perú

#PoliticalTable 📣🔴Following the 2026 elections, Peru faces an economic and social reality marked by the growth of small-scale, informal, and illegal mining. In recent decades, gold production has become significantly decentralized: large producers have lost ground to small operators, who now control a significant portion of the country's gold activity and trade. ⭕The magnitude of this phenomenon is reflected in the gaps between registered production and gold exports. A significant part of this economic flow operates outside official channels, highlighting limitations in the State's capacity to supervise and regulate the sector. This dynamism has allowed for the emergence of new economic actors, such as processing plants and marketing networks, which have gained influence in the public debate. 📍One of the most relevant aspects is the political impact of this activity. In areas with a strong mining presence, voting patterns reflect demands related to access to resources, regulation, and recognition of small-scale mining. This calls into question the current legal framework and highlights the need for policies that more effectively integrate these actors into the formal economy. However, the scenario is diverse and presents significant challenges. While some regions offer opportunities to advance formalization processes, in others—especially in the Amazon—illegal activity linked to criminal economies predominates. This context poses risks in terms of security, territorial governance, and environmental sustainability, requiring differentiated responses from the State. To analyze this situation, we spoke with José de Echave, a researcher at CooperAcción and former Vice Minister of Environmental Management, who examines the evolution of informal mining, its impact on the economy and politics, and the challenges of building a more balanced regulatory framework, in light of his most recent publication, "The Other Face of Mining."