A unique and threatened biodiversity
Few countries can boast as many ecosystems as Colombia. Three Andean cordilleras, two oceans, wet and dry tropical forests, deserts and rivers: in all, the country boasts over 314 ecosystems. While a third of the country is covered by the Amazon rainforest, we mustn't forget the three cordilleras, with peaks over 5,000 metres high. This diversity means that the country is home to a wide range of species, including endemic ones: there are at least 10,000! Marine ecosystems are just as varied, thanks to the country's two coasts, one on the Pacific Ocean to the west, the other on the Caribbean Sea to the east. In 2021, Colombia marked COP26 by announcing, with the governments of Costa Rica, Panama and Ecuador, the creation of the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor (CMAR), an interconnected protected area linking their respective marine reserves. Joined by France in 2024, the project is supported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), UNESCO, Conservation International (CI) and IUCN.
However, the country's environments remain fragile, threatened and sometimes in a critical state of degradation. Entire hectares of forest are razed to make way for illegal cattle breeding, coca cultivation, or to set up clandestine mines. Sometimes, danger even comes from where it is least expected, as in the case of the hippos introduced by Pablo Escobar, which have become a threat to biodiversity. From four individuals living in the zoo of the notorious drug trafficker in the 1980s, there are now 120 in the course of the Magdalena River. These animals, endemic to the African continent, are destroying riverbanks and driving out local species, some of which are already on the brink of extinction, such as manatees and caimans.
Highly politicized resources
It's a sad fact: in 2022, Colombia was the most dangerous country in the world for environmental activists. On Colombian soil, some 60 of the 177 activists murdered worldwide in 2022 were killed. This macabre record is set against a backdrop of conflict between FARC, rebel and paramilitary groups, drug traffickers, illegal miners and the government over control of the country's lucrative natural resources. Those who dare to protect their territory become targets, especially the indigenous communities, the biggest victims.
When the peace treaty was signed in 2016, large areas were freed from the yoke of armed revolutionaries. So large, in fact, that the government took the initiative of launching the Colombia Bio exploration program, to discover and document these still almost unknown areas.
However, the peace agreement has not helped matters, and has even increased deforestation tenfold. Deforestation is carried out by the large landowners who control the country, drug traffickers and smugglers. Faced with the illegal exploitation of resources, former president Iván Duque even placed environmental protection in the hands of the military with Operation Artemisa. However, since new Colombian President Gustavo Petro came to power, he has been implementing a multidimensional approach to combat illegal resource exploitation, combining law enforcement, the promotion of sustainability, international cooperation and public awareness.
Natural parks: ecological paradises
After decades of protection efforts, Colombia now boasts 59 national parks, some of the finest in the world. From the peaks of the Andes to the Amazonian canopy, they cover more than 14% of the country. With its virgin forest, white sandy beaches and mangroves, it's easy to see why Parque nacional Tayrona is the most visited. It is home to a wealth of flora and fauna, including bats, birds, reptiles and mammals, as well as marine species such as numerous corals.
However, it is the Serranía de Chiribiquete National Park (Guaviare and Caquetá) that is the largest, covering 4.3 million hectares: slightly larger than Switzerland! It is not only a natural heritage site, but also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While it's not surprising that the park nicknamed the maloca (traditional Amazonian home) of the jaguar, because it's home to so many of these felines, should be honoured for its biodiversity, it's also the first Colombian park to be listed for its cultural heritage. No fewer than 75,000 rock paintings have been discovered at the foot of the high, steep plateaus known as tepuys, which are characteristic of the region.
La Macarena Natural Park lies at the crossroads of the Amazon, Orinoco and Andes rivers, and is home to a wide variety of species, including deer, anteaters, jaguars, monkeys and cougars. Between September and November, the Caño Cristales river turns red thanks to a small endemic plant called Macarenia clavigera. Other parks, such as Parque nacional El Cocuy, also home to indigenous U'was reserves, or Parque nacional natural Los Nevados, show Colombia's snowy face, with some of the country's highest peaks.
The rise of ecological awareness
In Colombia, ecology takes on a whole new meaning. In addition to an environmentalist dimension, it embodies a social dimension, since it involves protecting the indigenous communities who inhabit the forests, the many Colombians who make their living from agriculture, and developing ecotourism. In recent decades, there has been a growing environmental awareness, which reached its peak in 2022, when Francia Márquez, a well-known environmental activist, entered the presidential race. After forming a coalition with Gustavo Petro, she settled for the vice-presidency, but could one day become the first Afro-Colombian woman president! A historic shift for both Colombian minorities and the environment, which is difficult to dissociate. Francia Márquez, an activist since the age of 13, is one of the faces of Colombian ecology. Sadly, she is on the morbid list of Colombian environmentalists who have suffered an assassination attempt, after three individuals opened fire in May 2019. Having fought against the illegal gold mines that plague the country and the detour of the Ovejas river, as well as participating in peace negotiations with FARC, she now represents a breath of fresh air for many communities that depend on the environment.
Environmental peace
Today, Colombia's challenge is to recover the governability of its territory. Following the Peace Accords with FARC, Gustavo Petro's government has made biodiversity and recognition of the territory its motive for reconciliation. The "Colombia Bio Expeditions" scientific program has substantially increased the amount of information available on Colombian ecosystems. Several species have even been discovered: researchers speak of 93 new species of flora and fauna in less than two years. Finally, in the department of Santander, located in a mountainous region that was not extremely difficult in terms of expeditions, but which had been blocked by the war, scientists unearthed a flower that they named "Paz" in homage to the end of the conflict. Let's remain optimistic!
Deforestation consumes the Colombian Amazon...
The Amazon rainforest contains 50-70% of the world's biodiversity. According to the latest figures, Amazon deforestation fell by 34% in August 2020 compared with August 2019... In contrast, deforestation had almost doubled between 2018 and 2019, increasing by 91.9%. In Colombia, deforestation began mainly in the 1960s, but increased considerably between 1991 and 2003. It is due to several causes involving local, national and international players: beef farms, the soya boom, the presence of ranchers, mining operations... The illegal appropriation of these lands not only destroys biodiversity, but also threatens the indigenous peoples living in the area. According to scientists, the forest could cease to regenerate, and several scenarios have been predicted: according to the World Bank, 40% of the Amazon will have disappeared by 2050, and for the World Wildlife Fund the figure will be as high as 55% by 2030.
...and fires devastate Bogota
After 460 fires were extinguished in early 2024, the situation was catastrophic: 28,000 hectares of vegetation went up in smoke - the equivalent of two and a half times the surface area of Paris! As a result of the El Niño phenomenon, fires are multiplying and intensifying, and record heat and drought are continuing. With the State of Emergency declared, President Gustavo Petro requested international aid: the USA, Chile, Peru and Canada responded positively, sending 200 tanks and containers of water in early 2024. In January 2024, 190 Colombian municipalities were facing water shortages due to droughts, and some 15 towns were relying exclusively on tanker trucks for their water supplies. Climate variability, impacts on water resources, crop losses and threats to ecosystems: Colombia is implementing adaptation and mitigation measures to cope with the devastating impacts of climate change. Between international agreements such as the Paris Agreement, emission reduction policies and conservation initiatives, President Gustavo Petro announced in early 2022 that his government would not sign any new hydrocarbon exploration contracts.
