Bernardino Mosquera, a river guardian, maneuvers his boat on the Quito River, near Paimado, Colombia, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
A small-scale miner shows gold grains found at the Atrato River, in Dona Josefa, Colombia, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
A machine used in extracting gold sits on the Quito River, near Paimado, Choco state, Colombia, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
People maneuver on the Quito River, near Paimado, Colombia, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
Children play soccer in Paimado, Colombia, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
A man carries a bunch of bananas in El Arenal, Colombia, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
A woman carries bottles to fill them with gasoline to be taken to illegal mining machinery at the Quito River, near Paimado, Colombia, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
A small-scale miner cools off while looking for gold at the Atrato River, in Dona Josefa, Colombia, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
A mother and her baby wash dishes in the Atrato River, in El Arenal, Colombia, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
People take boats early in the morning to go to work in mining in Paimado, Colombia, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
A small-scale miner searches for gold at the Atrato River, in El Arenal, Colombia, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
An illegal mining camp, sits along the Quito River, near Paimado, Colombia, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
Maryuri Mosquera, a river guardian, poses for a photo, in Quibdo, Colombia, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
Visible deforestation from illegal mining surrounds the Quito River, near Paimado, Colombia, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
Men carry hoses to transport gasoline in El Arenal, Colombia, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
Small-scale miners look for gold at the Atrato River, in Dona Josefa, Colombia, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)