CRIMS DESTROY AMAZON

Criminal networks in Colombia are accelerating destruction of the Amazon rainforest through illegal mining, cocaine production, trafficking in wild animals and logging, a report claims.

Ten per cent of the Amazon rainforest is in Colombia and the region has never been controlled by the central government. For decades it was the hiding place for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc). During that period the rate of deforestation was relatively slow. Forest cover gave Farc a strategic advantage against the army, and its destruction was discouraged by the guerillas.

Since Farc demobilised in 2016, gangs have moved into the area and deforestation has accelerated to record levels.

In 2017, 219,973 hectares of trees were felled, an increase of 23 per cent on the previous year.