The Mining Industry Faces the Challenge of Educating and Building Trust in the Face of Informality

Lima, December 30, 2025.- In Peru, the discussion is no longer about whether natural resources will be exploited, but about how this will be done. In the face of the advance of informality and its environmental impacts, formal mining faces the challenge of educating the population, strengthening dialog with communities, and moving forward with permitting processes that enable responsible exploration, said Adán Pino, President of the 15th International Congress of Prospectors and Explorers (proEXPLO 2026), which will be held from May 4 to 6, 2026, in Lima.

For the geologist, educating to distinguish between formal and informal mining has become a priority for the industry. “Peru’s natural resources will be exploited. The question is whether this will be done formally, in compliance with environmental standards and the law, or informally. As an industry, we face the challenge of educating the population and building trust,” he said in an interview with El Comercio.

In the context of high metal prices, the mining sector has identified dialog with communities and permitting efficiency as the pillars of responsible natural resource development. Both factors are essential to secure investment and new discoveries that will sustain the future of the sector.

Pino identified two major challenges for the development of mineral exploration in Peru: community relations and permitting agility. “Today there is no longer an ideological rejection of mining. Rural communities have become open to dialog; it is all a matter of negotiation and trust,” he stated.

Community Relations

In this regard, he emphasized the importance of building long-term relationships with local communities, based on early engagement, transparency, and respect for the social and environmental context. “Communities understand that natural resources will be exploited, and what they seek is to participate fairly and to ensure that the activity is carried out responsibly,” he noted.

On the other hand, according to Pino, investment in mineral exploration in Peru shows a clear upward trend and is expected to increase further in 2026, driven by record metal prices and renewed interest from junior and senior mining companies in the country.

According to Pino, between January and September of this year, investment in mineral exploration reached approximately US$455 million, representing a 34% increase compared to the same period in 2024. “All of this investment is focused mainly on copper and gold, the two metals whose prices have increased the most this year,” he said.

The executive explained that, unlike in previous years, global market interest has shifted from lithium toward copper, due to its key role in the energy transition. “Copper is the most important metal for this process. In Peru, investors are viewing copper as the best metal in which to invest,” he stated.

Positive Outlook for 2026

According to the President of proEXPLO 2026, capital markets have shown greater dynamism in the junior mining segment, with funds flowing toward countries that offer favorable conditions. “My projection is that investment in exploration in Peru will increase in 2026. The number of copper and gold projects will be higher than what we recorded this year,” he said.

In this context, junior mining companies play a key role in generating new projects, as they assume the greatest risk during the early stages of exploration. Pino highlighted that these companies are essential to building the future project pipeline of the mining industry, since many world-class operations originate from discoveries made by junior companies that are later developed by senior companies.

He also highlighted the presence and interest of major international players such as BHP and Rio Tinto, as well as recent significant corporate developments, including the merger of Anglo American with TEC, companies with operations in the country. “Both senior and junior mining companies continue to view Peru as a very attractive destination for exploration,” he concluded.