- A recent study reveals that between 2024 and early 2025, 525 hectares (1,297 acres) of forest were lost within Chiribiquete National Park, and 856 hectares (2,115 acres) were cleared in the Llanos del Yarí-Yaguará II Indigenous Reserve.
- Illegal roads are being built in these areas primarily for cattle ranching, and to a lesser extent, for coca leaf plantations.
- In these areas, the state is absent and armed groups are in control.
- Indigenous communities living in a reserve within the park have been forcibly displaced due to the spread of illegal activities in their territory.
In Colombia, the construction of illegal roads continues to damage protected areas. In Chiribiquete National Park, 525 hectares (1,297 acres) of forest were lost throughout 2024 up until March 2025 due to the opening of 81.5 kilometers (50.6 miles) of illegal roads within the reserve. In the Llanos del Yarí-Yaguará II Indigenous Reserve, located in the park’s northern part, an additional 22 km (13.7 mi) of illegal roads have led to the destruction of 856 hectares (2,115 acres) of forest. This expansion of roads is driven by cattle ranching interests and the presence of armed groups.
These findings come from a recent report by experts from the Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Project (MAAP), produced in collaboration with the Foundation for Conservation and Sustainable Development Colombia (FCDS), an environmental organization, and with financial support from the Overbrook Foundation. The report reveals that Chiribiquete National Park is facing multiple deforestation pressures, including the expansion of roads and other infrastructure, extensive cattle ranching, the spread of pasturelands, land-grabbing and, to a lesser extent, illegal coca cultivation.
These pressures often interact and reinforce each other: Access to roads facilitates the expansion of cattle ranching and pasturelands, which in turn drive land-grabbing.
Luz Alejandra Gómez, head of geospatial analysis at FCDS Colombia, told Mongabay Latam that this area of the Colombian Amazon is inhabited by armed guerrilla groups, notably the Estado Mayor Central, a faction of FARC dissidents. She explained that these groups exploit illegal roads for movement and territorial control. Additionally, Gómez noted the existence of “roads beneath the forest canopy,” which compel human settlements in these lands to carry out certain activities, such as extensive cattle ranching or illegal coca cultivation.
“The link between deforestation and roads is very strong because it’s much easier to access and clear forest where there is already a path. Historically, entry to the Amazon was primarily via rivers, but now roads provide a far easier and more practical means of movement. Armed groups have a presence in these areas due to limited state presence by the Colombian government. These are territories where it is difficult for the military to operate or for the state to establish effective governance, as they remain contested areas,” Gómez explained.
Gómez noted that this trend of expanding deforestation could worsen without effective state territorial control. However, she pointed out that irregular armed groups impose their own rules to limit excessive forest clearing. “It’s the law of the forest — the rules enforced by armed groups — and while these are fragile controls, they still influence deforestation. The government has made efforts, including military interventions and programs with Indigenous communities, but these have not been successful because they haven’t targeted the main deforesters,” Gómez emphasized.
The study shows that the greatest threat is in the Llanos del Yarí-Yaguará II Indigenous Reserve, where throughout 2024 and into early 2025, a 22-km illegal road was carved through the forest. This road expansion resulted in the loss of 856 hectares of forest. According to the report’s map, the road cuts across the Indigenous reserve, with clear signs of forest loss on both sides of the road.
Affected areas of Chiribiquete
In Chiribiquete National Park, the MAAP and FCDS report identifies illegal road construction in the departments of Caquetá and Guaviare as the source of at least 525 hectares of deforestation. In the El Cayuma sector, 189 hectares (467 acres) were lost due to the opening of a 45.3-kilometer (28.1 mi) road, while in El Palmar, a 21-km (13-mi) road led to the clearing of 179 hectares (442 acres). In the northern sector, 148 hectares (366 acres) were deforested, with an illegal road stretching 15.2 kilometers (9.4 mi).
Matt Finer, senior research specialist and director of MAAP, told Mongabay Latam that it is essential to bring visibility to deforestation in these areas, not only because of its impact on primary forests, biodiversity and Indigenous communities, but also due to the threat it poses to critical carbon reserves. The report identifies Chiribiquete as one of the most important and significant carbon sinks in the Amazon.
“This report aims to shed light on what’s happening in this part of the Amazon, but also to warn that if we don’t strengthen enforcement, the situation will continue to worsen. Colombia already faces severe deforestation in several national parks,” Finer said. “Deforestation in Colombia’s parks is staggering — it’s out of control, with extremely high rates. What we’re saying is that to keep Chiribiquete from following the same path as places like La Macarena, conditions on the ground must be improved,” he added.
Finer also added that the study on recent deforestation in Chiribiquete and the Llanos del Yarí-Yaguará II Indigenous Reserve underscores the importance of key policy measures, including the strengthening of law enforcement and investigative efforts. “Collaboration among all relevant actors is essential to implement more comprehensive strategies that reduce the negative impacts on the Amazon,” he said.
The study also emphasizes that “reducing deforestation and its impact on forests should be part of the agreement for a ceasefire and the de-escalation of the conflict between the national government and armed groups.” It further recommends “monitoring and regulating public investment across all levels of government to reduce incentives that promote cattle ranching as a driver of deforestation.”
Mongabay Latam requested an official statement from Colombia’s national natural parks authority to obtain their perspective on deforestation in Chiribiquete National Park. At the time of publishing this story, no response had been received from the agency.
According to Gómez, Indigenous communities that sought to resist deforestation were threatened and the leaders of the Llanos del Yarí-Yaguará II Indigenous Reserve were forcibly displaced in 2021. The expert explained that with no current resistance within the reserve, illegal roads have become freely accessible. Gómez added that while the field teams faced some risks from irregular armed groups during the study, fortunately no personnel were harmed.
Colombia’s Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development recently announced that, after recording its lowest deforestation rate in more than 20 years in 2023, the country saw a 35% increase in forest clearing in 2024. The ministry also highlighted a rise in medium-scale logging activities, suggesting the involvement of relatively organized and well-financed operations.
Over the past decade, 60% of Colombia’s deforestation has occurred in the Amazon region. There was a sharp increase in 2017 following the peace agreements with the FARC guerrilla group, with a subsequent decline in 2022 and 2023. In total, nearly 1.2 million hectares (around 3 million acres) of forest have been lost across the Amazon in the last 10 years.
Banner image: View of Chiribiquete National Park. Image courtesy of Angie5jb via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-4.0).
This article was first published here in Spanish on Apr. 29, 2025.
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