Demilitarizing Environmental Protection Will Benefit Colombia’s Biodiversity

Oct 23, 2024 | Caroline Delgado and Tatjana Edle von Peter
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The peace process in Colombia has transformed the country’s security landscape. With the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, FARC), once the largest guerrilla force in the Western hemisphere, laying down its arms, environmental degradation has become a major national security concern, fuelled by illegal logging, deforestation, wildlife trafficking, mining, and the cultivation and processing of coca and other drug crops. The rise in environmental crime not only endangers Colombia’s rich biodiversity but also risks destabilizing the fragile peace.