Colombia: As the Amazon Burns, Colombia’s Forests Decimated for Cattle and Coca

Sep 26, 2019 | Antonio José Paz Cardona, Mongabay
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The last few weeks have been critical for the Amazon in Brazil and Bolivia. Fires in August razed thousands of hectares of forest and drew the attention of the international community. Neighboring Colombia hasn’t been spared either. Although the fire season here usually occurs in January and February, there has been a surge in deforestation, especially in the country’s northwestern Amazon region. Protected areas of vital importance to indigenous communities and the Andes-Amazon-Orinoquía ecological corridor have also been affected.