Forests in Colombia Fall Victim to Illegal Coca Plantations

Sep 16, 2016 | María Lourdes Zimmermann
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The illicit cultivation of coca leaf in Colombia grew by 39 percent between 2014 and 2015, from 69,000 to 96,000 hectares. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report, coca cultivation increased by 52 percent inside indigenous reserves; it rose from 7,799 hectares in 2014 to 11,837 hectares in 2015. The indigenous reserves in Colombia are territories with limits established by law and occupied by one or more indigenous communities.

The coca leaf crops are ravaging important areas of Colombia’s forests, including biodiversity hotspots such as the Colombian Pacific coast. Forty-two percent of all coca plantations in the country are concentrated in such areas, according to the UNODC report, implying an increase in the pollution of soil, water, and air there.