TNC Helps Secure Global Action on Mercury and Gold Mining for Freshwater Fish
The Sixth Conference of the Parties (COP 6) to the Minamata Convention on Mercury in Geneva, Switzerland.
Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is the largest source of mercury pollution worldwide, with particularly harmful consequences for freshwater fish. Its impacts are especially severe in regions like the Amazon and sub‑Saharan Africa, where gold mining destroys freshwater habitats and contaminates fish that many Indigenous peoples and local communities rely on for food. ASGM has grown significantly in the past decade due to rising gold prices and geopolitical instability, and mercury levels in fish and fishing communities often far exceed the World Health Organization’s safety limits. Because of these growing threats, TNC is working through policy, science and community partnerships to reduce the impacts of gold mining and mercury contamination on biodiversity and protect fish populations for people who depend on them.
The Sixth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury (COP6)—the global forum where countries negotiate actions to reduce mercury pollution—marked a major step forward for aligning mercury action with global biodiversity goals. At COP6, parties adopted a new Biodiversity Roadmap that outlines how mercury‑related measures can support implementation of the Kunming‑Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
TNC played a key role in getting the Biodiversity Roadmap over the finish line by developing guidance to help countries incorporate ASGM and mercury pollution into their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans. This work also contributed to the establishment of a new global indicator, quantity of mercury reduced, now used to track progress in projects funded under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
The Takeaway - New Guidance Adopted
New guidance adopted under the Minamata Convention helps countries tackle mercury pollution from artisanal and small‑scale gold mining—one of the biggest threats to freshwater fish worldwide. By integrating mercury reduction and ASGM actions into national biodiversity plans, the guidance supports healthier freshwater habitats, safer fish for Indigenous peoples and local communities, and stronger protection of fish populations that millions depend on for food and livelihoods.