Deforestation in Colombia increased by 35% in 2024, compared to 2023 data, according to preliminary data from the Colombian Ministry of Environment. Last year Colombia lost 107,000 hectares of forest, compared to the 79,256 hectares in 2023.
The acting Minister of Environment, Susana Muhamad, pointed out that despite last year’s increase in deforestation, tree felling has actually dropped since 2021. That year, 174,000 hectares of forest were cut down, the highest recorded figure.
The area of Colombia most affected by deforestation was the Amazon region.
Deforestation rose by 35% in Colombia in 2024
Deforestation is one of Colombia’s most pressing environmental problems. The country has an impressive forest mass which is essential for helping to maintain the life cycle of the entire planet. However, the presence of illegal armed groups in many areas of the country prevents the State from being able to properly protect the forest.
Clashes between armed groups vying for control over natural resources as well as large-scale illegal mining accelerate decisive deforestation, despite State-run prevention and control programs.
In recent years, deforestation has dropped. In 2022, 123,517 hectares of land was deforested. In 2023, this figure dropped to 79,000 hectares, the lowest amounts since record-keeping began
The preliminary figure for 2024 breaks that trend, when deforestation increased by over 27,000 hectares. According to Muhamad, 60% of all deforestation takes place in the Amazon, a remote area with little effective state presence.
Government ‘forestry development centers’ aim to combat deforestation in Colombia
The Colombian government’s strategy to combat deforestation includes a Ministry of the Environment’s program aimed at establishing 22 “forest development centers.” These aim to reduce felling and protect the so-called Amazon Deforestation Arc – which includes the regions of Putumayo, Guaviare, Meta and Caqueta – where deforestation is particularly acute.
According to the Ministry, in 2024 six of these areas “showed a downward trend in the number of deforested hectares. However, in four of them similar levels of deforestation persisted and in another five there was an increase.”
Muhamad says that two areas in particular – the Macarena and Tinigua National Natural Parks, both in the south of the Meta department – are particularly at risk owing to extensive land grabbing.
Another critical area is Mapiripan, on the border between the Meta and Guaviare, where coca and palm crops are driving the felling of trees.
Discrepancies on actual deforestation figures
Last year discrepancies over Colombia’s actual deforestation figures generated controversy. Sources close to the political opposition questioned government claims that rates were decreasing.
The Attorney General’s Office, a state entity that controls the management of public officials, stated that during the first semester of 2024, deforestation increased by 223%. At that time, the Attorney General was Margarita Cabello, who took office in 2021 during the administration of former president Ivan Duque.
She attributed the increase in deforestation to the expansion of illicit activities such as drug trafficking, illegal mining and land grabbing, driven by the presence of armed groups in the most deforested regions. She also said that her data came from the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (IDEAM), an entity connected to the Ministry of Environment. However, IDEAM disputed the figures, clarifying that Cabello had reached an “inaccurate” and incorrect number due to having compared “early warning figures with official figures.”
Muhamad, meanwhile, acknowledged that there was “a dramatic increase in deforestation” during the first six months of 2024 but reiterated there should be no confusion when comparing overall data with respect to other years.