In Colombia and Brazil, Amazon deforestation is rapidly declining

Thanks to the political choices made by the governments of Brazil and Colombia last year, the deforestation of the Amazon has definitely slowed down.The decisions of the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva have in fact recorded a 36% decrease in the loss of primary forests in 2023 (the lowest level since 2015), while in Colombia, under the presidency of Gustavo Petro, the loss of primary forests halved (-49%) compared to the previous year.Similar data demonstrate how environmental protection constitutes in all respects a viable political choice, and how the decision to pursue these objectives can lead, in just one year, to achieving extraordinary results.

In the first 9 months of 2023, deforestation in the Colombian region is collapsed of 70% compared to the same period of the previous year, when the trend was already decreasing compared to 2021 (-21%).The government of Gustavo Petro, which took office in June 2022, had made environmental protection one of the crucial points of its political program from the beginning.In fact, among Petro's promises there was a stop to new oil and gas exploration, promoted and endorsed by previous conservative and pro-American governments.The domination and exploitation of the land is, moreover, a crucial issue in Colombian internal politics, with the country ranking among the first in the world for the number of environmental defenders killed.

Even in Brazil, deforestation continues to decline, despite drought of last year.In 2023, the deforested area (about 6 million hectares) was 36% lower than in 2022 (almost ten million hectares).Since he reinstated himself at the Palácio do Planalto, President Lula has placed the protection of the Amazon among the founding points of the government agenda.A break with the action of the president who preceded him, Jair Bolsonaro, under whose mandate (2019-2022) deforestation had increased by 75% compared to the average of the previous decade, becoming a land of indiscriminate conquest for industries and development projects every type.The former president had in fact even abolished the Agency responsible for verifying deforestation, as well as approved highly contested projects including the construction of a motorway within the forest.Lula da Silva, he put forests inhabited by indigenous populations are under protection and resumed the fight against fraud activities conducted in the forest, managing to initiate a change of direction, despite some obscure points in its policies, such as support for the disputed soybean railway.

Although these are important achievements, the results achieved by Brazil and Colombia were balanced (negatively) by the increase in deforestation in several countries, including Bolivia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Laos and Nicaragua.Major reductions in forest size have also been recorded in Canada, following the terrible fires that have affected the country in recent months.The Democratic Republic of Congo and Bolivia are the countries where the largest losses have been recorded globally.The DRC, in particular, has lost over half a million hectares of forests in 2023, which is worrying considering that the Congo basin is the last great one carbon sink existing, that is, the last remaining large tropical forest that absorbs more carbon than it emits.In Bolivia, primary rainforest loss reached an all-time high for the third consecutive year (+27% in 2023):here, more than half of the deforestation recorded last year was caused by fires.Laos and Nicaragua have also recorded, despite their small size, an extraordinarily high rate of tropical forest loss, mainly due to agricultural expansion.

[by Valeria Casolaro]