In the southeastern Peruvian Amazon, small-scale and artisanal gold mining has become a common activity and represents one of the greatest threats to forests. The study evaluated the natural regeneration of vegetation and the physicochemical properties of the soil for a chronosequence in Madre de Dios (Peru). Fourteen plots of 250 m2 were installed, distributed across areas with abandonment times varying from 2 to 19 years. All stems with a diameter at breast height ≥ 1 cm in each plot were recorded and classified according to size categories (saplings, poles, and trees). We recorded 1023 individuals distributed in 80 species and 27 families. The most abundant families were Fabaceae, Annonaceae and Euphorbiaceae. Inga thibaudiana, Ochroma pyramidale, and Cecropia membranacea were present in all three size categories. The plots exhibited high heterogeneity, with medium diversity and ver...