This is how deforestation is being fought in Colombia, according to the Comptroller's Office

On Monday, February 22, the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic warned about the serious situation of deforestation in Colombia and considered it urgent to “stop this environmental massacre, which results in about 170,000 hectares of forest being cut down every year on average.”

According to the Comptroller Delegate for the Environment, Gabriel Jurado, 500 hectares of forest are cut down daily in Colombia.

The watchdog considers this situation to be “very serious”, as it is breaking with the cycles of biotic connectivity of all these ecosystems and, consequently, irreparable damage is being generated to the environment.

“The issue of climate change is hitting us and about 60 percent of the CO2 emissions emitted in the country are the result of these processes of deforestation, particularly because of the burning that is being done,” emphasized the Environmental Delegate.

For this reason, and through the exercise of concomitant and preventive control, the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic constantly monitors the functioning, tasks and activities carried out by the National Council for Combating Deforestation (Conaldef).

In accordance with the goal established in the National Development Plan “Pact for Colombia, Pact for Equity”, by 2022 there is a plan to reduce deforestation by 30% compared to the current scenario, and the CGR is focusing on achieving this objective and ensuring that this progress is supported and evidenced by clear and concrete figures.

As part of its monitoring activities, the Comptroller's Office collects and analyzes information on the situation of deforestation in Colombia, including IDEAM's official deforestation report (years 2018 to 2020), also evaluating the alerts issued by this entity during the same period of time.

In the eye of the watchdog are also the actions carried out by the environmental authorities and, in general, the results in terms of decreasing the phenomenon and investment of financial resources.

In Colombia, 65% of deforestation is concentrated in the Colombian Amazon. In previous years, the CGR has evaluated compliance with the obligations related to the control of deforestation in that area by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, the Autonomous Corporations that have jurisdiction in the region and National Natural Parks of Colombia.

Some situations that were evidenced by the audit in this regard (released in 2020), are the following:

National plans and policies are not fully implemented, or are implemented late. Or, equally, they are not advancing in the way that is envisaged or required.

There is a low allocation of resources by the State and a greater presence of funding for international cooperation, generating weak sources of financing.

Likewise, weaknesses were evident in the management and control of forest use permits granted by environmental authorities.

And a report from a more recent audit by the Comptroller's Office (Compliance), on deforestation in Chocó reveals weaknesses in the control, surveillance and monitoring of the mobilization of timber forest resources exploited in this department.

Deficiencies were also found in the procedure or procedure for issuing forest use permits, granted by the same Corporation in the validity of 2018, 2019 and 2020. And there are weaknesses in the development of environmental sanctioning processes, related to deforestation in Chocó.

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