Undermining Colombia's Peace and Environment
Publisher: Science
Author(s): Alejandro Salazar, Juan F. Salazar, Santiago J. Sánchez-Pacheco, Adriana Sanchez, Eloisa Lasso, Juan C. Villegas, Paola A. Arias, Germán Poveda, Ángela M. Rendón, Maria R. Uribe, Juan C. Pérez, and Jeffrey S. Dukes
Date: 2021
Topics: Peace Agreements, Renewable Resources
Countries: Colombia
In 2016, Colombia's government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) signed a long-awaited peace agreement. Although promising for Colombia's people, the agreement came with environmental risks given that FARC had unintentionally protected vast areas of forest by using them as camouflage. Because Colombia had enjoyed a trend of improvements in safety, wealth, and equity — socioeconomic variables that affect the relationship people have with the environment — it seemed possible that Colombia's government could work with the local communities to better protect the country's important biodiversity and ecosystems. Unfortunately, with the 2018 election of President Iván Duque, the local communities critical to environmental stewardship have been put in jeopardy once again.