Colombia reported that deforestation last year was among its lowest level in over two decades, a positive sign that conservation efforts are working.
The final numbers for 2024 aren't in just yet, but Reuters reported that it's expected to be the third lowest in the past 23 years. In 2023, deforestation fell by a third to 792 square kilometers (305 square miles), down from approximately 1,235 square kilometers in 2022.
"The figure in 2024 will be the third lowest in 23 years," Environment Minister Susana Muhamad told the outlet. She noted that the level did rise somewhat from 2023, but it was still lower overall than in years past.
That marks a big success considering there were concerns about drought conditions, as well as breakdown in talks with rebels, which the government accuses of engaging in illegal logging, road building, and cattle ranching.
Muhamad, whose term is ending this year, said she was proud of her conservation efforts, particularly the UN COP16 biodiversity summit, held in Colombia last year. At the summit, plans fell through on how to apply $200 billion in annual conservation funding by 2030.
But last month, the summit reconvened in Rome and reached an agreement on "biodiversity finance, the Planning, Monitoring, Reporting and Review (PMRR) mechanism, and the full set of indicators" to measure progress, per the Convention on Biological Diversity's website.
About 55% of Colombia is covered by forests, including a portion of the Amazon, where much of the deforestation has been occurring, according to Earth.org. The Amazon is a critical contributor to biodiversity and carbon absorption and losing these forested areas increases the impact of planet-warming gases and leads to a host of problems, including increased extreme weather events and negative outcomes for Indigenous communities.
Colombia is also making efforts to update trade agreements with foreign countries to stop international companies from blocking environmental progress through the courts.
In neighboring Brazil, home to the bulk of the Amazon, a recent study showed that land protection efforts have reduced deforestation by up to 83%.
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