Deforestation in Colombia: An Intricate Story of Conflict and Power

Apr 28, 2022 | Martina Igini
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The loss of forests in Colombia is an intricate story of conflict, mismanagement, and illegal activities. Between 2002 and 2020, Colombia was losing green coverage at an unprecedented rate. 1.66 million hectares of the total 4.7-million-hectare tree cover loss experienced in nearly two decades were humid primary forests, the world’s most biodiverse and carbon-dense green areas. After decades of brutal civil war, a peace agreement was signed in 2016 between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Since then, deforestation has skyrocketed.

Today, cattle ranching, coca cultivation, and gold mining are big money-makers for the rebel groups that took over the country’s green areas since the 2016 peace deal that put an end to decades of civil war. Because of limited space availability, people have started clearing land in protected areas such as the Chiribiquete National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site comprising more than 4 million hectares of land in the Colombian Amazon.

On multiple occasions, international organisations have rebuked Colombian politicians for allowing environmental crimes to be committed with impunity. Furthermore, ranches across the country are protected by authorities who often turn a blind eye to illegal deforestation, such in the case of the Chiribiquete National Park.

Despite more than half of the territory being covered in trees, deforestation in Colombia is making the nation more vulnerable to climate change and contributing to the impoverishment of its people.