While hosting the United Nations Conference on Biodiversity (COP16) in Cali this month, Colombia’s government took the opportunity to promote itself as a global environmental leader.
Setting the theme as “paz con la naturaleza,” or peace with nature, President Gustavo Petro’s administration is using the summit to promote its agenda of total peace and environmental protection.
While some analysts praise the state for its comprehensive commitments and progressive moves on climate policy, others cast doubt on the government’s ability to protect the Amazon, Colombia’s most valuable ecosystem, which is largely controlled by armed rebels.
For the Colombian state, COP16 is a chance to prove its record and leadership in climate action.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development explained the importance of organizing the conference.
“This event presents an opportunity for us to showcase our rich biodiversity and the crucial role we play in the fight against ecosystem loss,” the spokesperson said. Latin American Reports.
The Petro administration, which has put climate change at the top of its political agenda, sees COP16 as a symbol of its continued commitment to environmental protection and reform.
Since taking office in August 2022, Petro has overseen the end of new oil and gas exploration, a third of the decline in deforestation and has become the first leader of a “major nation” to call for a treaty on non-proliferation of fossil fuels.
But what the government hoped would be an opportunity to showcase its progressive climate agenda has been largely overshadowed by the actions of armed groups.
Shortly before the start of COP16, rebels from the guerrilla faction of the Estado Mayor Central (EMC), or Central General Staff, issued a warning on social media that delegates should not attend the summit.
The threat highlighted the complex relationship between conservation efforts and the ongoing armed conflict in Colombia.
A recent report by the International Crisis Group (ICG) outlined the correlation between increased deforestation in the Amazon and a collapse in negotiations with the EMC.
An internal split among the rebels in April 2024 led to the breakdown of talks with the state. Since then, the rate of deforestation has increased significantly.
Elizabeth Dickinson, Senior Analyst for Colombia at ICG and one of the authors of the report, spoke to Latin American Reports for the difficult situation of the government.
“I think that the government has two political problems and they are different. Short-term problem and long-term problem. The short-term problem is that the Amazon jungle is disappearing,” she said. The long-term problem is the lack of state control over large areas of tropical forests.
Dickinson believes the state can help protect the Amazon through peace negotiations with EMC. It points to an earlier decline in deforestation when Petro’s government first began pursuing its “paz total” or total peace agenda — an ambitious plan Petro campaigned to make peace with the various armed groups of Colombia.
“In 2022 that’s exactly what happened, and I think, as a goodwill gesture, EMC put these limits on deforestation, and I think it’s within their power to do it again,” Dickinson commented.
After the first round of negotiations between the EMC and the Petro government, deforestation rates fell by 51% in areas under the rebel group’s influence.
Andres Cajiao, an investigator for the Colombian security institute Fundación Ideas para la Paz (FIP), echoed Dickinson’s views.
He said Latin American Reports that early negotiations “include commitments from [the EMC] to reduce deforestation in its area of influence. This allowed for a reduction of the phenomenon during the early stages of the negotiations.”
But Cajiao also warned that even with a peace deal between the state and the EMC, other ecologically important biomes in departments such as Guaviare, Putumayo and northern Antioquia are controlled by various rebel groups.
Despite the challenges to conservation efforts, many analysts praise Colombia’s government for its progressive stance on environmental issues and its determination to lead action against climate change.
Speaking of Latin American ReportsEstefanía Gonzalez, Deputy Director of the Greenpeace Andino Campaign, praised the progressive stance of Colombia and neighboring countries on environmental issues.
“Latin American countries are not only among the most megadiverse in the world, but have also implemented important measures to protect biodiversity and have shown significant leadership both regionally and globally in various multilateral arenas,” she commented. .
ICG’s Dickinson also noted the uniquely progressive political climate in Latin America that has given environmental issues a bigger platform than ever before.
“I think we are lucky to have a point historically where we have a large number of heads of state in the region, and the seven states of the Amazon, who are interested in conservation, who have made it a priority and who are putting it on the agenda global,” she said.
