Susana Muhamad in discussion with the 8 countries that make up the Amazon biome in Leticia, Amazon on July 6, 2023.MinAmbiente
Deforestation in the Amazon, the world’s largest rainforest, is just three percentage points away from reaching the point of no return. This was announced by Colombian Environment Minister Susana Muhamad on Wednesday, upon her arrival in Leticia (Amazon) for a meeting that started this Thursday and will serve as a prelude to an eight-president summit in Belém Pará in August. “To conserve the Amazon, we must conserve 80% of its forests and deforestation must not exceed 20%. Unfortunately, we’re already at 17%,” he noted.
According to scientific knowledge, it is assumed that if the Amazon were deforested by more than 20%, it would no longer be able to regenerate and that under these climatic conditions it would even mean the end. Unfortunately, the Amazon accounts for 17% of the world total of deforestation.
👇🏽 pic.twitter.com/e0IT7attOd— Susana Muhamad (@susanamuhamad) July 5, 2023
The minister stressed that “urgent action” was needed to avoid catastrophic consequences worldwide. However, he also commended that “there is a political will and a recognition that the consequences of losing the Amazon are irreversible.” For her, this will be illustrated by the presence of ministers from the eight Amazon countries – Bolivia, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Suriname, Guyana and Venezuela – in Leticia clearly.
The Leticia meeting will provide the technical and scientific input for the August summit, which will seek an agreement that halts the Amazon’s degradation and commits to its restoration by 2025 and 2030. The presence of the heads of state and government from Colombia is expected this Saturday and Brazil, Gustavo Petro and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. In a few weeks, the two will also speak to the presidents of the other six countries. According to Muhamad, it will be the first Amazon summit that will be attended by the leaders of all states that have part of the Amazon in their sovereign territory.
The Amazon has faced significant difficulties in recent years, particularly in Brazil. Former President Jair Bolsonaro weakened environmental inspections, promoted impunity for trespassers and despised tribal peoples who wanted to protect their lands. His policy had devastating consequences: the area destroyed was almost 4,000 square kilometers in the first half of 2022, 80% more than in the first half of 2018.
The Colombian part, on the other hand, was the subject of good news a few weeks ago. Colombia confirmed in May that in 2022 deforestation had decreased by almost 25% in the Putumayo, Guaviare, Meta and Caquetá jungle departments. Therefore, the Environment Minister believed that the results were due to moving away from the legalization of farmers involved in deforestation in favor of offering other economic alternatives.
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