It is good to remember that trees purify the air, stabilize environments, are the habitat of thousands of species and fulfill the function of regulating water. Without them, the planet could suffer an imbalance. However, the panorama of deforestation in Colombia is a bleak reality.
In Colombia, the forest mass has been eliminated and although in many national territories the forests are recovering ground, in general the tendency of the planet is to eliminate it due to activities such as uncontrolled exploitation or population growth. We humans ignore that deforestation is a silent enemy and that forests are key allies in the fight against climate change.
The accelerated loss of forests is a problem facing planet Earth; the use of forests for humanity’s daily uses has resulted in climate changes and environmental deterioration.
Colombia and its richness in forests
The geographical location and climatic conditions make our country considered one of the countries with the greatest natural wealth and variety of tree species; This is an advantage and at the same time a disadvantage, since it becomes a competitive terrain in the production of attractive woods for the market for products made of this material. These resources are a constant dispute between their legal use and the product of illegal logging and sale.
The declaration of new protected spaces, the preservation of areas inhabited by indigenous communities and planting green barriers to stop the advance of deserts are key measures against deforestation.
According to IDEAM, Colombia is mainly occupied by trees such as shrubs, palms, guaduas, herbs and lianas; and a tree cover predominates with a minimum canopy density of 30%, a minimum canopy height of 5 m at the time of identification, and a minimum area of one hectare. This includes tree covers of commercial forest plantations. It should be noted that the tree canopy refers to the roof or habitat formed by the treetops of a forest.
According to IDEAM, it is important to note that 66.7% of the area covered by forest in Colombia is located in the Amazon region, But in the Andean and Pacific regions there is a significant 17.8% and 8.9% of the national total, while in the Caribbean Region there is a large part of the remnants of dry forests and only 1,746,754 hectares of natural forests.
Measures that have been taken in Colombia for deforestation
IDEAM has considered the estimation of deforestation in Colombia at two levels of approximation. The first of them through the generation of early warnings of deforestation from digital image processing that generates quarterly reports.
The second level of approach for the national and regional quantification of deforestation is carried out through the digital processing of 30-meter medium resolution images.
For the first quarter of 2023, as reported by the government of President Gustavo Petro, Deforestation in the Amazon had a reduction of 76% compared to the same period in 2022, going from about 50,500 to about 12,000. A data that shows that the actions carried out in this region of the country have had sustained results since August 2022.
What is reforestation?
This measure It consists of planting trees in places where they originally existed but, for some reason, were cut down or degraded. Faced with the problem of deforestation, reforestation has been one of the main measures to restore a balance that allows natural resources to be extracted without the impact being radical and widespread.
The reforestation programs that have been implemented in Colombia have been carried out above 1,600 meters above sea level and approximately half of the area has been reforested with coniferous plants (such as pines and cedars).
Measures to avoid deforestation
Although many of the measures that must be taken to avoid deforestation in the country and in the world are a fundamental part of global policies, we can also contribute so that this crisis continues by finding alternatives and effective solutions.
Measures to combat deforestation:
- Regenerate millions of destroyed or degraded hectares, as well as damaged oceans and lakes.
- Declare new protected spaces, preserve areas inhabited by indigenous communities and plant green barriers to stop the advance of deserts.
- Have maintenance of the high areas of the hydrographic basins.
- Avoid and/or reduce excessive use of paper.
- Consume products and services from responsible companies
- Use more organic products
- Disseminate responsible and relevant information that helps to understand the problem
- Save energy.
- Support environmental protection initiatives
- Greening the area near the home.
As humanity we cannot survive without nature and the destruction of plantations is a global problem that affects the lives of all living beings. So the invitation is to take into consideration our way of seeing the forests and each natural group that composes them, so that the planet continues its natural course.
