In one of the world’s most fertile areas, an increasingly large and dangerous production is growing, threatening some of the most vulnerable areas in the Amazon. In a new report from the International Crisis Group (ICG) from earlier this summer, it is warned of irreversible damage to nature and indigenous peoples as a result of cocaine production. – The information confirms the notifications we receive from our partners in the area, says Ines Luna Maira, area manager of the Rain Forest Fund. In the past, several people have warned about this problem, including the website InsightCrime, a leading think tank in the field of organized crime in the continent. The area is called the triple border, and is where Colombia, Peru and Brazil border each other. It is home to several indigenous peoples who live across national borders. But it is also here that one of the world’s two largest cocaine producers, Colombia and Peru, borders Latin America’s largest market for cocaine, Brazil. From legal leaves to illegal cocaine When the drug cartels want to produce cocaine, they need coca leaves, and to grow coca leaves you need space and massive felling. Cocaine production is demanding, and hand-picking the alkaline-rich coca leaves requires, among other things, great work capacity. The criminals find all this on the triple border, according to InsightCrime. Deforestation in the Amazon The Amazon is the world’s largest rainforest, and stretches over 5.4 million square kilometers in Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. There are 33 million people living in the Amazon. 1.4 million are indigenous. The Amazon, with its billions of trees, absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere and releases oxygen. In this way, the rainforest is a natural climate regulator. But when the trees are cut down or burned down, they release CO2 into the atmosphere. It affects the climate. In 40 years, 762,979 km² of rainforest have been cut down in Brazil, the country with the largest proportion of rainforest (60%). It is an area that is twice the size of Norway. The four biggest drivers of deforestation in the Amazon are: Legal and illegal logging Commercial agriculture, especially cattle and soy Mineral, oil and gas extraction Development of infrastructure: roads, canals, dams, power grids, trains Source: Rainforest Fund, UN The remote area is far away from the authorities’ control, which is exploited by criminals in cocaine production, illegal mining and logging. Coca leaves are legal to grow in Peru, where they are considered cultural heritage. Unfortunately, a large proportion of the leaves are used to make cocaine. When cooking cocaine, the leaves are placed in large pools, where they are mixed with petrol to separate the alkaloid from the leaves. The substance is further mixed with several chemicals, before it ends up in blocks that are ready to be sent to Brazil. Large quantities of chemicals are used to make cocaine. A good portion of the chemicals run into the surroundings and further degrade the forest. Eating from the best-preserved nature – Criminal groups are spreading in some of the best-preserved areas in the Amazon, says Ines Maira, from the Rainforest Foundation. On the Peruvian side of the border alone, deforestation as a result of coca plantations has doubled between 2019-2023, from 5,000 to 12,491 hectares, according to figures from the Peruvian Commission to Combat Drug Addiction (DEVIDA). Unspoiled tropical forest lures more and more criminals to the triple border in the Amazon. Photo: AFP It is not just forests that are razed when the drug lords gain control of the area. – Countless indigenous groups live in the triple border, and many of these choose to live without contact with the outside world, says Luna Maira. She believes indigenous people are the natural protectors of the rainforest. When the criminals force them out of their way of life, it also hampers the work of preserving the Amazon rainforest. – Losing in the fight against “narcotics” In InsightCrime’s article, it is pointed to a lack of control as the main reason why criminals wreak havoc in the triple border. The former head of the drug police in Peru confirms this to news. – Unfortunately, we do not have the resources to be present there. There will be short raids and raids, Jose Ludeña said then. The former head of the drug police in Peru, Jose Ludeña, is calling for more control at the triple border. Photo: Javier Auris / news The criminals who have established themselves in the area are among the region’s largest and most powerful, according to InsightCrime. Among other things, the Brazilian mafias “Comando Vermelho” and “Primeiro Comando da Capita”, which are fighting for control of the supplies to Brazil. From here, the drugs are sent on to Europe, where the profits are greatest. Production on the Peruvian and Colombian sides is controlled by the Carolina Ramirez Front, a former faction of the FARC guerrillas that retains control of production in the area. The triple border thus becomes an important meeting place for criminals, which has made the area one of the most violent in Latin America. news has previously written about an indigenous expert and a British journalist who were killed in the area. Ludeña says that many locals choose to work for the drug cartels as they have no other legal options. – What would you do if someone offered you more money to grow coca leaves than cocoa, asks Ludeña rhetorically. To deal with the security problem, he suggests more cooperation with the other Amazonian countries, and more support from European countries. – European countries also have a responsibility, since the demand for cocaine increases the most there, says Ludeña. Coca fields like this keep popping up in the Amazon. Photo: Javier Auris Bjelland Eriksen: – Big growing problem Norway and the Amazon countries have signed agreements on the reduction of deforestation, through the Norwegian forest initiative, NICFT. The situation in the triple border is both familiar and worrying for Climate and Environment Minister Andreas Bjelland Eriksen: – This threatens indigenous peoples and local communities, and prevents our partner countries from achieving their climate and environmental ambitions. He adds that Norway already cooperates with Interpol and the UN Office for Drugs and Crime, precisely to combat environmental crime that we see on the triple border. – Environmental crime such as illegal logging, mining and fishing contributes to deforestation in the Amazon and will probably be an important topic during COP 16 in Colombia later this year, says Bjelland Eriksen. Norway’s International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI) Cooperation between Norway and countries with tropical forests. Started in 2008, Norway pays out financial support to countries that achieve their goals in reducing deforestation. The initiative has several sub-goals. Among other things: Reduce environmental crime Safeguard indigenous people’s way of life and human rights in countries with tropical forests Source: NICFI.no Published 07/08/2024, at 22.23
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Cocaine plantations threaten nature and indigenous people in the Amazon – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
