Colombia | The forest, a lever for sustainable development in Colombia

Summary

Deforestation in Colombia is unsustainable environmentally, economically, and socially. Reversing it requires strengthening land ownership and usage systems, promoting sustainable development, and assigning value to natural assets. Coordination between public policies and the private sector is essential.

Key points

• Key points:
• Deforestation in Colombia’s forests is environmentally and economically unsustainable. Each year, the country loses between 200,000 and 300,000 hectares of forest cover, often due to the expansion of agriculture and livestock, illegal mining, or illicit crops, with significant variation in their respective impact across departments, ecosystems, and municipalities. This forest destruction not only harms the environment but also negatively affects the economic and social development of the affected communities.
• Reversing deforestation requires boosting economic development opportunities through policies that leverage three key tools. First, by strengthening land ownership and usage regulations without incentivizing exploitative practices. It's also crucial to promote responsible land use in high-risk areas through strategies consistent with environmental sustainability, while fostering higher productivity in areas designated for economic exploitation through the provision of public goods (security, infrastructure), logistical solutions, and financial support in coordination with the private sector.
• Eliminating deforestation demands coordinated action across multiple public policies with a long-term vision to align the behavior of communities and the private sector. Financing these policies requires finalizing and aligning the various available instruments—including environmental tools such as carbon taxes, tradable emission permits, and voluntary markets—to achieve the goal of eradicating deforestation.

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