This article addresses a socio-environmental conflict in southern Colombia resulting from the illegal extraction of gold. The purpose of this work was to reflect the socio-environmental conflict over illegal mining on the Sambingo River, from environmental ethics. Two-year satellite images -2014 and 2016-were used, as well as an interview and secondary sources. With this, it was possible to identify the areas affected by illegal mining and investigate the practices of moral subjects that are registered in the space through different ethical-environmental frameworks. It is concluded that Afro-Colombians live under symbolic / material links with their territory, which come into conflict with foreign miners' ones, who carry out a violent extractivism, in a context that lacks a normative and environmental ethical framework that promotes destruction of the life.