**3.2 Patterns of forest loss in Colombia**

In the last 27 years (1990–2017), Colombia lost more than 6.7 million ha of natural forest. Only in the last 5 years (2013–2017), a forest loss of 783,899 ha was identified. Deforestation has mainly been concentrated in the so-called "Colombian Amazon deforestation arc," located between the departments of Putumayo, Caquetá, Meta, and Guaviare. Other deforestation hotspots are Serranía de San Lucas (Antioquia and Bolívar departments), Chocó department, and Catatumbo (Norte de Santander department) (see **Figure 5**).

In regional terms, the Colombian Amazon presented the highest deforestation in the last 5 years (2013–2017), accumulating 46% of the total deforestation, especially in areas

**45**

**Figure 6.**

*Main deforestation hotspots in the Colombian Amazon (period 2013–2017).*

*Colombian Forest Monitoring System: Assessing Deforestation in an Environmental Complex…*

such as the so-called "Sabanas del Yarí—4" (limits of Meta and Caquetá departments), northwest of the Guaviare department—2, Meta department—3, and the middle and

During 2017, the deforestation in Colombia raised to 219,973 ha, an increase of 23% compared with the deforestation reported for the year 2016. In total, 65% of forest loss was concentrated in the Colombian Amazon deforestation arc.

It is important to mention that deforestation is ostensibly less in areas such as National Natural Parks, Indigenous Lands, and Afro Colombian community Lands, compared with the rest of the country. In 2017, in 723 municipalities, at least 1 ha was deforested. Overall, 74% of the deforestation in the whole country was concentrated in 25 municipalities, being San Vicente del Cagüan (Caquetá department), Cartagena del Chairá (Caquetá department), San José del Guaviare (Guaviare department), La Macarena (Meta department), and Calamar (Guaviare department), the ones

At the national level, in 2017, the deforestation rate in Colombia was −0.38, which is the highest value of the last 17 years, only overpassed by the rates registered in the

lower sectors of the Río Caguán basin—1 (Caquetá department), (**Figure 6**).

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.86143*

with the largest deforested area.

**3.3 Rates of forest loss**

*Colombian Forest Monitoring System: Assessing Deforestation in an Environmental Complex… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.86143*

such as the so-called "Sabanas del Yarí—4" (limits of Meta and Caquetá departments), northwest of the Guaviare department—2, Meta department—3, and the middle and lower sectors of the Río Caguán basin—1 (Caquetá department), (**Figure 6**).

During 2017, the deforestation in Colombia raised to 219,973 ha, an increase of 23% compared with the deforestation reported for the year 2016. In total, 65% of forest loss was concentrated in the Colombian Amazon deforestation arc.

It is important to mention that deforestation is ostensibly less in areas such as National Natural Parks, Indigenous Lands, and Afro Colombian community Lands, compared with the rest of the country. In 2017, in 723 municipalities, at least 1 ha was deforested.

Overall, 74% of the deforestation in the whole country was concentrated in 25 municipalities, being San Vicente del Cagüan (Caquetá department), Cartagena del Chairá (Caquetá department), San José del Guaviare (Guaviare department), La Macarena (Meta department), and Calamar (Guaviare department), the ones with the largest deforested area.

#### **3.3 Rates of forest loss**

*Forest Degradation Around the World*

**3.2 Patterns of forest loss in Colombia**

(Norte de Santander department) (see **Figure 5**).

In the last 27 years (1990–2017), Colombia lost more than 6.7 million ha of natural forest. Only in the last 5 years (2013–2017), a forest loss of 783,899 ha was identified. Deforestation has mainly been concentrated in the so-called "Colombian

In regional terms, the Colombian Amazon presented the highest deforestation in the last 5 years (2013–2017), accumulating 46% of the total deforestation, especially in areas

Amazon deforestation arc," located between the departments of Putumayo, Caquetá, Meta, and Guaviare. Other deforestation hotspots are Serranía de San Lucas (Antioquia and Bolívar departments), Chocó department, and Catatumbo

**44**

**Figure 5.**

*Forest cover in Colombia for the year 2017 (green) and deforestation distribution for the period 2013–2017 (red).*

At the national level, in 2017, the deforestation rate in Colombia was −0.38, which is the highest value of the last 17 years, only overpassed by the rates registered in the

**Figure 6.** *Main deforestation hotspots in the Colombian Amazon (period 2013–2017).*

1990s. At the regional level, there were departments with deforestation rates ostensibly lower than the national average, such as the case of the departments of Amazonas (−0.01%), Vaupés (−0.04%), and Vichada (−0.09%). On the contrary, the deforestation rate in Antioquia (−0.96), Caquetá (−0.92), and Guaviare (−0.8) was ostensibly higher than the national average. In these cases, the government should put special attention because they are well above the average world deforestation rate of −0.21% [26], and even above countries such as Indonesia (−0.7%) or Bolivia (−0.5%).

#### **3.4 The early warning system**

The implementation of the described methodology has allowed to identify the main recent active cores of deforestation for the year 2018. IDEAM generates four deforestation early warning bulletins per year that are available through the institutional platform. These bulletins are based on the digital image processing of low spatial resolution (MODIS Terra/Aqua), medium spatial resolution (sentinels 1 and 2), and high spatial resolution satellite data (Planet Scope), with the use of automated change detection algorithms, to detect quarterly (inclusive monthly) the main forest loss cores. With these bulletins, users can know the distribution and geographic location of the early alerts (including specific coordinates) or the location of the active deforestation nuclei (maps with tonalities indicate the magnitude of the alert), to detect the forest areas with loss of natural forest (**Figure 7**). This information is useful as a basis for effective control to carry out timely actions against activities such as the illegal mining, illicit crops, praderization, illegal logging, conversion to agricultural crops, and forest fires, among others.

In 2018, it was identified that the arc of deforestation in the Colombian Amazon is the area that concentrated the greatest warning of deforestation, mainly in the first and fourth quarters. Other areas with active deforestation cores are Catatumbo (Norte de Santander department), Serranía de San Lucas (Antioquia and Bolivar departments), Paramillo (Antioquia and Córdoba departments), and some sectors of Cauca and Chocó departments.

Likewise, the IDEAM performs an analysis of active fires [29] as a proxy of active deforestation, which monitors the possible occurrence of burning areas or active fires. This platform (see **Figure 8**) allows to access active fire information on a daily basis or an aggregated basis for the national, departmental, and regional levels since 2000.

#### **3.5 Drivers and agents of deforestation**

Agricultural and livestock activities generate the greatest pressures on natural areas, by establishing productive systems that are characterized by low levels of productivity and for promoting new zones of colonization or expansion from the existing ones [30]. Traditional agricultural production represents about 10% of the total agricultural productive area of the country [2, 31]. The activity represented about 7% of the new land transformed between 2005 and 2012, mainly impacting the Andean and Amazonian regions, among which 86% of the agricultural land transformed in Colombia is distributed. However, livestock, especially cattle, which is one of the main economic activities of the country, appears as the main driver of deforestation at the national level. Overall, we have estimated that 51% of the total forest loss was due to the increase of areas in pastures, in theory to settle livestock productive systems [11].

The production of illicit crops, in particular coca leaf, has also been recognized as an important cause of deforestation [32]. Although its direct impact is usually reduced compared to other causes of deforestation, the fragmentation of the forest matrix caused by this driver has a decisive indirect impact on the advance of the agricultural frontier [4]. In 2017, the estimated proportion of forest loss due to illegal

**47**

**Figure 7.**

*Deforestation early warning persistence for the year 2018.*

*Colombian Forest Monitoring System: Assessing Deforestation in an Environmental Complex…*

crops is 6% [33] and is primarily concentrated in the hotspots of deforestation of the country. Another smaller but still important driver of deforestation is forest fires related to land tenure conflicts, certain agricultural management practices, activities such as hunting, pest and weed control, and expansion of crops and pastures for livestock [34, 35]. In our work, we identified that 2800 ha were deforested by 117 fires in 61 municipalities, which is equivalent to 2.3% of the total deforested in the period of 2014–2015 [4, 36]. Likewise, illegal mining is having an important effect on forest loss. In total, we quantified the direct loss of natural forest cover associated with alluvial gold exploitation activities in 2681 ha for the year 2014 [37]. In 2015, deforestation associated with alluvial gold mining reached 7890 ha (7% of national deforestation) and was concentrated mainly in three natural regions (Pacific, Andes, and Caribbean) [33]. A study carried out by UNODC and the Government of Colombia indicates that 38% of the territory affected by alluvial gold exploitation at the national level registers the presence of illicit crops [5, 37]. In the territories affected by coca, the phenomenon of alluvial gold exploitation has been growing rapidly, in a

pattern of clear spatial and social association between the two activities [4].

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.86143*

*Colombian Forest Monitoring System: Assessing Deforestation in an Environmental Complex… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.86143*

#### **Figure 7.**

*Forest Degradation Around the World*

**3.4 The early warning system**

of Cauca and Chocó departments.

**3.5 Drivers and agents of deforestation**

pastures, in theory to settle livestock productive systems [11].

1990s. At the regional level, there were departments with deforestation rates ostensibly lower than the national average, such as the case of the departments of Amazonas (−0.01%), Vaupés (−0.04%), and Vichada (−0.09%). On the contrary, the deforestation rate in Antioquia (−0.96), Caquetá (−0.92), and Guaviare (−0.8) was ostensibly higher than the national average. In these cases, the government should put special attention because they are well above the average world deforestation rate of −0.21% [26], and even above countries such as Indonesia (−0.7%) or Bolivia (−0.5%).

The implementation of the described methodology has allowed to identify the main recent active cores of deforestation for the year 2018. IDEAM generates four deforestation early warning bulletins per year that are available through the institutional platform. These bulletins are based on the digital image processing of low spatial resolution (MODIS Terra/Aqua), medium spatial resolution (sentinels 1 and 2), and high spatial resolution satellite data (Planet Scope), with the use of automated change detection algorithms, to detect quarterly (inclusive monthly) the main forest loss cores. With these bulletins, users can know the distribution and geographic location of the early alerts (including specific coordinates) or the location of the active deforestation nuclei (maps with tonalities indicate the magnitude of the alert), to detect the forest areas with loss of natural forest (**Figure 7**). This information is useful as a basis for effective control to carry out timely actions against activities such as the illegal mining, illicit crops, praderization, illegal log-

ging, conversion to agricultural crops, and forest fires, among others.

In 2018, it was identified that the arc of deforestation in the Colombian Amazon is the area that concentrated the greatest warning of deforestation, mainly in the first and fourth quarters. Other areas with active deforestation cores are Catatumbo (Norte de Santander department), Serranía de San Lucas (Antioquia and Bolivar departments), Paramillo (Antioquia and Córdoba departments), and some sectors

Likewise, the IDEAM performs an analysis of active fires [29] as a proxy of active deforestation, which monitors the possible occurrence of burning areas or active fires. This platform (see **Figure 8**) allows to access active fire information on a daily basis or an aggregated basis for the national, departmental, and regional levels since 2000.

Agricultural and livestock activities generate the greatest pressures on natural areas, by establishing productive systems that are characterized by low levels of productivity and for promoting new zones of colonization or expansion from the existing ones [30]. Traditional agricultural production represents about 10% of the total agricultural productive area of the country [2, 31]. The activity represented about 7% of the new land transformed between 2005 and 2012, mainly impacting the Andean and Amazonian regions, among which 86% of the agricultural land transformed in Colombia is distributed. However, livestock, especially cattle, which is one of the main economic activities of the country, appears as the main driver of deforestation at the national level. Overall, we have estimated that 51% of the total forest loss was due to the increase of areas in

The production of illicit crops, in particular coca leaf, has also been recognized as an important cause of deforestation [32]. Although its direct impact is usually reduced compared to other causes of deforestation, the fragmentation of the forest matrix caused by this driver has a decisive indirect impact on the advance of the agricultural frontier [4]. In 2017, the estimated proportion of forest loss due to illegal

**46**

*Deforestation early warning persistence for the year 2018.*

crops is 6% [33] and is primarily concentrated in the hotspots of deforestation of the country. Another smaller but still important driver of deforestation is forest fires related to land tenure conflicts, certain agricultural management practices, activities such as hunting, pest and weed control, and expansion of crops and pastures for livestock [34, 35]. In our work, we identified that 2800 ha were deforested by 117 fires in 61 municipalities, which is equivalent to 2.3% of the total deforested in the period of 2014–2015 [4, 36]. Likewise, illegal mining is having an important effect on forest loss. In total, we quantified the direct loss of natural forest cover associated with alluvial gold exploitation activities in 2681 ha for the year 2014 [37]. In 2015, deforestation associated with alluvial gold mining reached 7890 ha (7% of national deforestation) and was concentrated mainly in three natural regions (Pacific, Andes, and Caribbean) [33]. A study carried out by UNODC and the Government of Colombia indicates that 38% of the territory affected by alluvial gold exploitation at the national level registers the presence of illicit crops [5, 37]. In the territories affected by coca, the phenomenon of alluvial gold exploitation has been growing rapidly, in a pattern of clear spatial and social association between the two activities [4].

#### **Figure 8.** *Active fire platform at IDEAM's web portal [29].*

Finally, since the peace talks began between Colombia's government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in 2012, experts warned that the postconflict period could have negative consequences of forests, mainly due to access to areas that were restricted during the conflict and the lack of planning for the sustainable development of these territories [38, 39]. In the vast majority of cases, the areas with the greatest forest presence and the threat of deforestation are located in small- and medium-sized municipalities (up to 100,000 inhabitants), where the end of the conflict would surely increase its development at expenses of the removal of vast areas covered by natural forests. Even in the most environmentally optimistic postconflict scenario, it can be expected that at least during a transitional period, the first economic benefits at the end of the conflict will come from the abundant natural capital available in the region. In this context of accelerated economic growth with few restrictions, forests will continue to be one of the most affected resources [4].
