Colombia deforestation fell to historic low last year
Al Jazeera
Drop in deforestation comes amid efforts to protect critical Amazon rainforest after years of record destruction.
Deforestation in Colombia fell by 36 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year, the country’s environment ministry said, as President Gustavo Petro’s government works to halt record-breaking destruction in the Amazon.
In a statement on Monday, the Environment Ministry said deforestation fell to just over 792 square kilometres (305 square miles) across Colombia last year, down from around 1,235sq km (477sq miles) in 2022.
“It is very good news, but we definitely cannot say that the battle is won. We continue to confront illicit economies,” Environment Minister Susana Muhamad told reporters in the capital, Bogota.
In Colombia’s Amazon region specifically – traditionally the driver of the national figure – deforestation declined 38 percent to around 443sq km (171 square miles), down from close to 712sq km (275 square miles) in 2022.
When he was elected in 2022, Petro promised to prioritise environmental protection and halt Amazon deforestation by limiting agribusiness expansion into the rainforest, among other measures.
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