Colombia is home to one-third of the Amazon forest, the greatest rainforest in the world. Being an essential carbon sink, the Amazon forest absorbs carbon emissions that would otherwise cause global warming.
Deforestation in Colombia fell 36% to a 23-year low in 2023, driven by declining environmental destruction in the Amazon region, the environment ministry said on Monday.
The decline took place in 2022 and 2023 and is the result of years of advocacy work by Indigenous activists who rely on the Amazon for their homes and means of subsistence.
According to Colombia’s Environment Minister Susana Muhamad, the decline “means that 44,262 hectares of forest stopped being cut down,” she said to reporters. “While this is excellent news, we cannot declare the war won. We still have to deal with shadow economies.”
The information was made public as country gets ready to host the COP16 United Nations biodiversity convention in October in Cali, a city in the southwest.
How did this Andean nation manage to cut deforestation to a record low?
President Gustavo Petro pledged, upon winning election in 2022, to stop the Amazon’s historically high rates of deforestation by restricting the growth of agribusiness into the forest and establishing reserves where non-timber forest products, including as rubber and acai, can be harvested by Indigenous tribes and other groups.
The decline was caused by the government and local rebel groups pursuing peace negotiations and by providing financial incentives to Amazonian farmers to support conservation efforts. It followed a roughly 29% decline in deforestation in 2022.
Importance of the Amazon forest:
- The Amazon is the world’s largest tropical forest and river system.
- It is home to 47 million people, including 2.2 million Indigenous peoples from over 500 different groups.
- The region hosts an incredible diversity of species: 9% of mammals, 14% of birds, 8% of amphibians, 13% of freshwater fish species, and 22% of vascular plant species.
Extent of Deforestation in Amazon forest:
- Approximately 17% of Amazon forests have been completely lost, and an additional 17% are degraded.
- Data from the first half of 2022 indicate that deforestation continues to grow.
- The Amazon faces immense pressure due to deforestation, fires, and degradation.
Amazon rainforest plays a crucial role in regulating the planet’s climate:
Carbon Sink: The Amazon absorbs carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, serving as a significant carbon sink. Its abundant vegetation helps to slow down global warming by absorbing and storing CO2.
Emissions of greenhouse gases: Regrettably, this equilibrium is being upset by human activity. Methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) are two examples of greenhouse gases that are released during deforestation, logging, mining, and agricultural operations (which frequently involve fires). Compared to CO2, these emissions are more dangerous.
Net Emitter: Recent studies reveal that the Amazon Basin is now a net emitter of greenhouse gases due to human disturbances. While forests still absorb CO2, other factors outweigh this benefit, making the Amazon a net contributor to climate change.
Geographic Extent:
- The Amazon rainforest spans approximately 7 million square kilometers (2.7 million square miles), with 6 million square kilometers (2.3 million square miles) covered by the rainforest itself.
- It stretches across nine nations: Brazil (where 60% of the forest lies), Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela.
