Deforestation in Colombia is being bankrolled by powerful agricultural and ranching interests, green advocates say. (Photo courtesy of Conservation and Sustainable Development Foundation—FCDS)
By all appearances, Colombian President Iván Duque has been waging a war on deforestation since taking office in August of 2018. Soon after his inauguration, Duque announced that curbing illegal land clearing would be a priority of his administration. At the time, government figures were showing that from 2000 to 2017, Colombia’s forest loss totaled 2.7 million hectares (6.7 million acres)—a land area greater than that of the U.S. state of Maryland. So in April of 2019 he sent 15,000 Army troops and police to ensure forest protection in 150 rural municipalities identified as land-clearing hotspots. But the campaign, called Operation Artemis, was dismissed by environmental and social organizations as a publicity stunt. They argue that the approach unfairly punishes small farmers and members of indigenous communities while failing to crack down on the monied, politically connected farming and ranching interests that bankroll deforestation to expand their operations... [Log in to read more]
