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Grantee: Fundación para la Conservación y el Desarrollo Sostenible (FCDS)
Subgrantee: IUCN National Committee of the Netherlands (IUCN NL)
Geographic Focus Colombia
Duration: May 2026 – April 2030
Illegal gold mining is a leading driver of deforestation, ecosystem degradation, and social conflict in the Colombian Amazon, with an estimated 80% of Colombia’s gold exports originating from illegal sources. Much of this extraction takes place within protected areas and Indigenous territories, and the widespread use of mercury poisons rivers and endangers the health of forest-dependent communities. The problem is compounded by transnational criminal networks, weak enforcement and traceability systems, and opaque global supply chains that allow illicit gold to enter formal markets.
This four-year initiative, jointly led by FCDS and IUCN NL, aims to strengthen the institutional and community capacities needed to prevent, detect, and respond to illegal gold mining. Working across Colombia, the EU, and the UK, the project pursues three interconnected strategies: generating rigorous evidence on the impacts and trade dynamics of illegal mining and mercury use; building the capacity of environmental, judicial, and enforcement authorities to monitor and investigate this crime; and advancing regulatory reforms to improve gold traceability and accountability. Together, these efforts seek to close critical enforcement and knowledge gaps, reduce the profitability of illegal extraction, and protect Amazonian forests and the rights of the Indigenous and local communities who depend on them.
About Fundación para la Conservación y el Desarrollo Sostenible (FCDS):
The Fundación para la Conservación y el Desarrollo Sostenible (FCDS) is a Colombian NGO, established in 2011, dedicated to the sustainable and equitable development of mainly rural human populations while preserving these regions’ natural and social conditions. Working across the Colombian Amazon, FCDS specialises in environmental and social monitoring, geographic analysis, land-use planning, and generating technical evidence for decision-making. Committed to building a culture of peace through an inclusive, inter-agency approach, FCDS partners with communities, local organisations, and state authorities to strengthen governance, promote sustainable economic activities, and combat the illegal activities driving deforestation in the region.
About IUCN NL:
IUCN NL is the Dutch National Committee of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the world’s largest environmental network. Its vision is a just world in which nature is valued and protected, with a mission to influence, encourage, and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and ensure the equitable, ecologically sustainable use of natural resources. In Colombia, IUCN NL has partnered with FCDS since 2021 on Amazon Rights in Focus: Peoples and Forest Protection, a joint programme built on two pillars: exposing forest crime and strengthening the capacities of Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and government agencies to monitor and confront it – improving territorial rights and livelihoods while reducing pressure on the Amazon’s forests.
Jacobs Futura Foundation is a registered charity in the UK with charity number 1208303. Jacobs Futura Trustee Limited, a company limited by guarantee, is the trustee of the Jacobs Futura Foundation and is registered in England and Wales with company number 14775871.
©Jacobs Futura Foundation 2026
