Colombia: Colombia, an Example to World, Balances Conservation and Development

Oct 9, 2017 | Justin Catanoso, Mongabay
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While the now-ended 50-year civil war claimed eight million victims, it had the paradoxical effect of protecting a variety of Colombian ecosystems. That’s because FARC rebels largely hid deep in the jungles, making them too dangerous for logging and development of the nation’s vast reserves of fossil fuels and precious metals. With the peace process underway, deforestation is already on the rise and transnational extraction companies are pressing to monetize the country’s natural resources. The Santos administration, short on funds to protect the lands it has preserved, will hold office until August 2018.