Country brief: Colombia
A brief introductory overview of the environmental dimensions of post-conflict Colombia, with facts, figures and further reading.
Half a century of conflict caused serious damage to the environment but in some areas prevented deforestation in what is a global biodiversity hotspot. Pollution has been caused by deliberate attacks on oil infrastructure and aerial herbicide use, and mercury emissions from gold mining are an ongoing problem. The peace agreement has created new threats to Colombia’s ecosystems as access to forest areas increases and land use changes.
Publications
Blogs
Calculating the environmental benefits of peace in Colombia
Colombia’s environment has suffered widespread and severe damage as a result of half a century of armed conflict. With a peace agreement with FARC on the table, the government has been reviewing the financial costs of the damage – and the economic and environmental benefits of peace.
Colombia halts aerial coca eradication after WHO Glyphosate cancer ruling
Aerial use of Glyphosate herbicides in Colombia prove too controversial after WHO findings on cancer risks.
WHO finds that Glyphosate is probably carcinogenic – implications for Plan Colombia
The World Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified the world’s most widely used herbicide Roundup as probably carcinogenic in humans. Roundup is widely used in US supported efforts to destroy poppy and coca fields in Colombia’s long running internal conflict and the decision will add to existing concerns over the health impact of aerial spraying.
External content
Mongabay | Open destruction in the Colombian Amazon after FARC’s exit
In 2015, 24,142 hectares of forest were lost, which is almost 20% of Colombia’s total forested area in that year. The main driving forces of the deforestation are the expansion of the agricultural industry to make room for cattle, along with the commercialization of wood, illicit crops, and illegal mining.
Mongabay | In Colombia, a national park’s expansion announced as deforestation progresses
President Santos is expanding national parks but they remain under threat from agriculture.
Mongabay | Scorched earth: Colombia’s ‘refugee farmers’ returning to land
After five decades of civil war, Colombia is holding more than seven million displaced people, second only to Syria worldwide, now they are returning home.
Pulitzer Center | ‘It’s a Perverse System’: How Colombia’s Farmers Are Reforesting Their Logged Land
Land grabs, government policies and a lack of governance in the regions are all placing Colombia’s environment at risk.
Mongabay | Armed conflict was not always ‘good’ for preventing deforestation in Colombia
Insights into the factors affecting deforestation in areas of Colombia under the control of armed groups and the government.
Yale Environment 360 | With New Peace, Colombia Finds Hope for Saving Its Wild Lands
After a half-century of conflict, Colombia is regaining control of vast biologically rich areas that had been havens for rebel groups. Now, scientists are racing to create plans for conservation and sustainable development to head off an influx of illegal loggers and miners.
The Dialogue | Peace and Environmental Protection in Colombia: Proposals for Sustainable Rural Development
Report assessing the environmental impact of the armed conflict in Colombia, potential environmental risks in former conflict zones resulting from the implementation of the peace accords, and which identifies the institutional, economic, and policymaking challenges to mitigating those risks.
Palladium Group | Post-conflict Colombia – Challenges and Opportunities for Sustainable Landscapes
This panel discussion sought to promote shared understandings of how the donor community and international civil society can support a newly peaceful Colombia to embark on a renewed path of sustainability for its long-term security.
DNP | Dividendo Ambiental de la Paz
An influential report from Colombia’s Departamento Nacional de Planeación outlining the environmental dimensions of Colombia’s conflict and the peace process.