BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Armed groups operating in the Colombian Amazon are tightening their grip on the region, slowing government efforts to tackle deforestation, a think tank report showed Thursday.
The dissidents of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), known as EMC, have the ability to slow or accelerate deforestation at their discretion, according to the report by The International Crisis Group.
Some former FARC members never signed and do not agree with the 2016 FARC-Colombia peace agreement. Others signed it but took up arms again, while others are new to the ranks of dissidents, either as volunteers or forced fighters, said Rodrigo Botero, director of the Foundation for Conservation and Sustainable Development (FCDS).
EMC is currently from Colombia the third largest armed groupwith approximately 3,500 members.
“This group is most directly responsible for deforestation in the past five years,” Botero said. “More than half a million hectares have been lost in their control zones.”
“Last year,” he said, “the EMC ordered the population to suspend deforestation, but this year they have increased deforestation again.”
More than 40% of Colombia lies in the Amazon region – an area about the size of Spain. The country has the largest bird biodiversity in the world. According to FCDS, fifteen percent of the Colombian Amazon has already been deforested.
Colombia’s first left-wing government under Gustavo Petro is betting much of its legitimacy on its environmental and peace agenda, Crisis Group researcher and report co-author Bram Ebus told The Associated Press.
“However, as Colombia’s natural environment continues to suffer the serious consequences of conflict dynamics and economic activities that fuel violence, its political legacy is at risk,” Ebus said.
Colombia’s Environment Ministry said in a statement Thursday that saving the Amazon rainforest has been one of Petro’s top priorities and that it has achieved a historic 61% reduction in deforestation in the past two years.
While the ministry acknowledges “the problems with the dynamics of peace in the area and armed actors,” it said it wants to build a forest development model that benefits Amazon communities, restores the forest and stops illegal deforestation.
Previous governments opted for punitive measures against Amazon communities complicit in deforestation, while Petro is offering incentives and proposing financial aid to support forest conservation and promote sustainable livelihoods, Ebus said.
“Nevertheless, the lack of territorial control hinders the implementation of these projects as armed groups dominate the region, often preventing communities from benefiting from state-funded initiatives,” he said.
The EMC is able to impose control over the forests through armed coercion, said Elizabeth Dickenson, a senior analyst at the Crisis Group and co-author of the report. She added that local commanders issued strict orders to communities in late 2022 and March 2023 to stop deforestation.
“Anyone who did so would be subject to fines, forced community labor and even expulsion from the community,” Dickenson said.
But early this year, the EMC lifted restrictions so it could accelerate revenue streams from deforestation, she said, adding that the group would force those who deforest to pay an extortion fee to operate.
“One of the things that was very alarming in researching this piece was the extent to which state authorities are denied access to areas under their (EMC) jurisdiction,” she said. “This also includes national parks and protected areas.”
Dialogue with the EMC is an uphill battle, Ebus said, noting that the group has repeatedly violated previously agreed rules during ceasefires and denied government agencies access to areas under its control.
“If the Petro government really wants to protect the Amazon, it must first regain access to these areas, as armed groups are currently in control,” he said.
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