Colombia's President Gustavo Petro on Monday said the country saw its lowest deforestation figures in 23 years, with a notable drop in the Amazon rainforest.

Deforestation in Colombia has fallen 36 percent in 2023, driven by declining environmental destruction in the Amazon region, the environment ministry said on Monday.

Nationally, deforestation fell to just over 792 square kilometers last year, which is 36 percent less than the amount lost in 2022, according to a statement from the ministry.

"It's the lowest level of deforestation in 23 years," Petro wrote on his social media. "We must get to zero to maintain the lungs of the planet."

Deforestation in parts of the Colombian Amazon was down 38 percent.

The sustained decline is partly due to a government program that pays farmers in exchange for conserving nature, according to the environment ministry.

Deforestation had also slowed in regions where guerilla groups have entered into peace talks with the government.

While Colombia is still facing big challenges in combating deforestation as Environment Minister Susana Muhamad in April warned of a 40 percent increase in deforestation in the first months of 2024 driven by the dry weather resulted from El-Nino phenomenon.

Colombia will host the COP16 biodiversity conference in October.

According to the environment ministry, the main causes of deforestation in Colombia are "extensive livestock practices, unplanned transport infrastructure, illicit crops, illegal mineral extraction and logging."