By Oliver Griffin
BOGOTA (Reuters) – Deforestation in Colombia during 2024 rose 35% versus the previous year to 1,070 square kilometers (413 square miles), Environment Minister Susana Muhamad said on Thursday.
In 2023, Colombia’s deforestation fell to just over 792 square kilometers – a 23 year low – down from around 1,235 square kilometers in 2022.
Colombia, host of last year’s COP16 U.N. biodiversity summit, is one of the world’s most biodiverse countries. Home to thousands of plant and animal species, the country loses swathes of forest to deforestation each year.
Last week Muhamad – who will soon step down from the government following her resignation earlier this month – said some $70 million in environmental funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has been frozen in Colombia after President Donald Trump moved to gut the organization.
Most of the impact will be felt in the country’s Amazon, she said.
(Reporting by Oliver Griffin)
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