Deforestation in Colombia Decreases Under Petro’s Administration

Deforestation has declined in Colombia over the past year, according to the latest data published by the Global Forest Watch (GFW) platform. This decrease is a direct consequence of President Gustavo Petro’s environmental policies, which have prioritized the protection and preservation of the country’s forests. Colombia is richly forested, with 81.3 million hectares of natural forest accounting for 72 percent of its land area, according to the GFW. The country hosts two main rainforests, the Choco and the Amazon, the latter being the world’s largest forest, which represents approximately 69 percent of Colombia’s forested area.

Petro’s campaign against deforestation in Colombia

Primary forest destruction in Colombia has been reduced by 49 percent in 2023 compared to 2022. Since 2000, Colombia has lost 5.39 million hectares of forest, accounting for an overall 6.6 percent decrease. Deforestation surged following the September 2016 peace agreement between the Colombian government and the far-left guerrilla movement FARC. Traditionally using the rainforests for cover, the departure of the guerrilla opened the way for businessmen and criminal groups to engage in livestock farming, agriculture, mining, and logging, leading to record-high deforestation rates.

From the beginning of his term, President Petro has defined environmental protection as one of the cornerstones of his left-wing administration. Following his inauguration in August 2022, his government rapidly achieved a record reduction in deforestation, going from 128 to 66.1 thousand hectares, reversing a seven-year trend of severe deforestation. Petro’s achievement also results from dialogue with guerrilla groups controlling parts of the rainforests. In contrast, his predecessor, Ivan Duque, had launched ‘Operation Artemis,’ a military operation led between 2019 and 2022 to combat deforestation, but had failed to achieve significant results.

Further challenges

Beyond reducing deforestation, reforestation is another goal of Petro’s administration. Between 2001 and 2021, Colombia experienced a net loss of 2.6 million hectares of forests, with only 500,000 hectares reforested. According to the Environment Ministry (Ministerio de Ambiente), the government aims to increase this figure to 750,000 by 2026. Recently, the El Niño climatic phenomenon has caused large forest fires in Colombia, destroying over 30,000 hectares of wooded areas, further complicating the forest protection challenge.

Ten percent of the Amazon rainforest’s total area is in Colombia, with over 50 percent of Colombian forests concentrated in the Amazonian departments of Caqueta, Meta, Guaviare, Putumayo, and the Andean department of Antioquia.