Colombia deforestation surges 43% fuelled by fires, land-grabbing
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Burned plants after a forest fire in Sopo, Colombia, in January 2024.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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- Colombia's 2024 deforestation surged to 113,608 hectares, a 43% increase from 2023, reversing previous progress, according to the environment ministry.
- The Amazon region was hit hardest, accounting for over 65% of deforestation, with around 75,000 hectares destroyed due to land-grabbing and illicit crops.
- Environment Minister Lena Estrada cited drought-induced forest fires and climate change along with illegal road building as major drivers of deforestation.
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BOGOTA - Deforestation in Colombia surged in 2024, according to data from the country’s environment ministry on July 31, as some 113,608 hectares were destroyed largely in its Amazon region, 43 per cent more than in the previous year.
The figure marks a sharp reversal after 2023 saw the amount of forest land destroyed fall 36 per cent from the prior year to 79,256 hectares - its lowest level in 23 years.
“Deforestation persists,” Environment Minister Lena Estrada said, at a press conference in Bogota.
“The most affected territory is the Amazon, a fragile territory.”
Ms Estrada said the increase in 2024 was partly due to forest fires spurred by a drought, fuelled by climate change.
Land-grabbing for pastures, the expansion of livestock farming, illegal road construction, and more growing of illicit crops such as coca leaves were also primary drivers, she said.
The Amazon region accounted for more than 65 per cent of the total loss, with some 75,000 hectares destroyed.
Colombia is one of the countries with the greatest biodiversity in the world and is home to thousands of plant and animal species, although it loses swathes of forest each year to deforestation.
The South American country has approximately 59.1 million hectares of forest, covering more than half its territory. REUTERS
