Colombia lost nearly 88,900 hectares of forest — an area larger than New York City — in just six months, according to a new report from the country’s public watchdog.
The report by the procurator’s office, released Monday, points to illegal roadbuilding, coca cultivation, and unregulated mining as the main drivers of deforestation between October 2024 and March 2025. The damage is concentrated in ecologically vital southern regions like Caquetá, Guaviare, Putumayo, and Meta — areas that form part of the Amazon basin.
Investigators documented over 1,100 kilometers of illegal roads cutting through national parks such as Chiribiquete, Nukak, and Farallones de Cali. These roads not only clear forest but also support the transport of illicit goods and expansion of illegal activities.
“The construction of these routes would consolidate a terrestrial corridor that significantly facilitates the development of illicit economies and environmental damage,” the report warned.
While coca remains the leading cause of forest loss — especially in Meta, Putumayo, and the Naya River region — illegal gold mining is emerging as a major threat. The report highlights activity near Indigenous reserves in Buenaventura’s rural zone, where heavy machinery has been found operating inside protected areas and along new trafficking routes to the Pacific.
Caquetá saw the highest deforestation rate, with nearly 30,000 hectares cleared, followed by Guaviare and Putumayo. Much of the destruction occurred close to Indigenous lands and critical wildlife corridors.
The watchdog urged authorities to investigate the legality of the new roads and immediately shut down unauthorized ones.
Although Colombia’s government reported a 36% drop in deforestation in 2023 — the lowest since records began — the trend reversed in early 2024, with forest loss jumping 35%, driven largely by activity in the Amazon.
The environment ministry had not responded to the findings by the time of publication.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that he expects to hear from U.S. negotiators soon after they conclude their meetings in Mosco...
Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon has held an emergency meeting with the country’s security leadership following the death of five people at t...
Global arms revenues hit a record 679 billion dollars in 2024, reflecting a sweeping rearmament drive across major powers and rising military pressure...
Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has introduced its newest model, DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale, claiming it can perform some tasks as well as the latest models f...
NATO Chief Mark Rutte repeated on Tuesday that the consensus needed for Ukraine to join the alliance is not there at the moment....
Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon has held an emergency meeting with the country’s security leadership following the death of five people at the Tajik Afghan border.
Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has introduced its newest model, DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale, claiming it can perform some tasks as well as the latest models from Google DeepMind and OpenAI.
Belgian police have raided the EU’s diplomatic service and the College of Europe as part of a corruption probe into an EU-funded training academy for diplomats, detaining three suspects and searching multiple premises, according to Politico.
NATO Chief Mark Rutte repeated on Tuesday that the consensus needed for Ukraine to join the alliance is not there at the moment.
A four-part docuseries executive produced by Curtis '50 cent' Jackson and directed by Alexandria Stapleton on Netflix is at the centre of controversy online.
Security concerns across Central Asia have intensified rapidly after officials in Dushanbe reported a series of lethal incursions originating from Afghan soil, marking a significant escalation in border violence.
Moscow and Kyiv painted very different pictures of the battlefield on Sunday, each insisting momentum was on their side as the fighting around Pokrovsk intensified.
Russia has claimed a decisive breakthrough in the nearly four-year war, with the Kremlin announcing the total capture of the key logistics hub of Pokrovsk just hours before United States mediators were due to arrive in Moscow.
U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed on Sunday that he had spoken with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, but did not provide details on what the two leaders discussed.
Authorities in Senegal have launched urgent measures to prevent a potential oil spill after water entered the engine room of the Panamanian-flagged oil tanker Mersin off the coast of Dakar, the port authority said on Sunday.
The death toll from devastating floods across Southeast Asia climbed to at least 183 people on Friday (28 November). Authorities in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Sri Lanka struggle to rescue stranded residents, restore power and communications, and deliver aid to cut-off communities.
At least 47 people have died and another 21 are reported missing following ten days of heavy rainfall, floods, and landslides across Sri Lanka, local media reported on Thursday (27 November).
Rescuers in Thailand readied drones on Thursday to airdrop food parcels, as receding floodwaters in the south and neighbouring Malaysia brightened hopes for the evacuation of those stranded for days, while cyclone havoc in Indonesia killed at least 28.
Floods and landslides brought about by torrential rain in Indonesia's North Sumatra province have killed at least 28 people by Thursday, with rescue efforts hampered by what an official described as a "total cut-off" of roads and communications.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment