Efforts to combat deforestation in Colombia hindered because of armed groups, report finds

Armed groups operating in Colombia's Amazon are tightening their grip on the region, and that's stalling government efforts to tackle deforestation, according to a think tank report on Thursday.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) dissidents, known as EMC, have the ability to slow or accelerate deforestation at will, said the report by The International Crisis Group.

Some of the former FARC members never signed and disagree with the 2016 FARC-Colombia peace deal. Others signed it but took up arms again, while others are new to the dissident ranks either as volunteers or forced fighters, said Rodrigo Botero, director of The Foundation for Conservation and Sustainable Development (FCDS).

EMC is currently Colombia's third largest armed group, with around 3,500 members.

"This group is the most directly responsible for deforestation in the last five years," Botero said. "More than half a million hectares have been lost in their control zones."

"Over the last year," he said, "the EMC has given orders to the population to suspend deforestation, but this year they have increased it again."

More than 40 percent of Colombia is in the Amazon-an area roughly the size of Spain. Colombia has the world's largest bird biodiversity. Fifteen percent of the Colombian Amazon has already been deforested, according to FCDS.

Colombia's first leftist administration under Gustavo Petro stakes much of its legitimacy on its environmental and peace agenda, Crisis Group researcher and report co-author Bram Ebus said.

"However, as Colombia's natural environment continues to suffer from the severe impacts of conflict dynamics and economic activities that fuel violence, his political legacy is at risk," Ebus said.

Colombia's environment ministry said in a statement on Thursday that saving the Amazon rainforest has been one of Petro's main priorities, and it has achieved a historic reduction of deforestation by 61 percent in the last two years.

While acknowledging "the difficulties with the dynamics of peace in the territory and the armed actors," the ministry said it wants to build a forest development model that benefits Amazon communities, recovers the forest and stops illegal deforestation.

Previous administrations opted for punitive measures against Amazon communities complicit in deforestation, while Petro offers incentives, proposing financial aid to support forest conservation and promote sustainable livelihoods, Ebus said.

"Nevertheless, the lack of territorial control hampers the implementation of these projects, as armed groups dominate the region, often preventing communities from benefiting from state-funded initiatives," he added.

(Cover image via CFP)