“Colombia is not a dangerous country to defend nature”: MinAmbiente

In September 2021, the NGO Global Witness published its most recent report in which it reported that Colombia ranked first as a the country with the most environmental leaders killed in the world. In total, 227 defenders were killed in 2020, of which 64 cases occurred on national territory.

According to the document, there are two important factors in Colombia that increase the numbers of violence, from threats to attacks and homicides. The first is related to crop substitution; and the second, to the growth in recent years of paramilitary groups.

Likewise, the Investigation and Prosecution Unit (UIA) of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) warned last Friday that threats against environmental leaders in Santander, and, on the other hand, the expansion of the National Liberation Army (ELN) in this region and in Cesar. According to the Unit's report, between 2017 and March 2022 “there were seven global events of threats to environmental leaders, affecting 49 department leaders.”

In the midst of this panorama, the Minister of Environment, Carlos Eduardo Correa, spoke about the criticism of the National Government for leading the lists of homicides. “Colombia is not a dangerous country to defend nature,” he said in an interview with the EFE agency, and said that he is “happy” for the work done a few months after handing over the post.

According to the official, “every case (of deaths of environmental leaders) that has been presented is a totally different case,” and, therefore, he insisted that “it cannot be generalized that defending the environment in Colombia is risky.”

One of the points that Correa emphasized was the need for the Congress of the Republic to ratify, on a second attempt, the Escazú Agreement. This is considered the first multilateral treaty in Latin America and the Caribbean on environmental issues that has an important component of protecting environmental leaders.

In mid-March, President Iván Duque had joined this request, arguing that, if necessary, Colombia could count on “technicians (on the subject) who come to the country and who can also explain the scope of many other issues, where there are doubts in the legislative sector.” Those who reject the country's signing to the pact argue that this would mean granting sovereignty to international organizations.

With regard to the environmental, climate change and diversity agenda promoted by the Government to address the triple crisis facing the planet, Colombia “is showing very important leadership, not only regionally but globally,” said the Minister of Environment. In addition, he also pointed out that “the environment cannot have flags or political colors”, an aspect that, in his opinion, “this Government has demonstrated”.

Finally, the minister told EFE that the peak of these four years in environmental matters came with the passage of the Climate Action Act. As he explained, this is a “historic milestone for the country” that stipulates as a crime deforestation, which now has prison sentences of between five and fifteen years; illegal fishing, and the illegal trade in wildlife.

On this last item, the Ministry of Environment reported that between January and February 2022, 2,362 individuals belonging to 185 species of wildlife were released in the country, of which 525 had been rescued in seizures for trafficking and illegal possession. Similarly, the portfolio pointed out that the group with the highest number of releases in the first two months of the year was birds with 92 species (50% of the total species); the second group was reptiles, with 49 species (20%); and mammals, with 37 specimens.

*With information from EFE

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