Deforestation in the Colombian amazon biome: socioeconomic and socio-environmental conflict drivers

Colombia is one of the world’s most biodiverse countries, home to over 10% of the planet’s biodiversity. Much of this richness is found in the Amazon biome, which spans over 43% of the country’s land surface. Despite its ecological importance, the region is subject to growing threats from deforestation, leading to loss of biodiversity and degradation of ecosystem services. Key drivers of this deforestation include socio-environmental conflicts, such as land conversion, coca cultivation, and illegal mining, all of which are compounded by Colombia’s longstanding internal armed conflict. Socioeconomic conditions in local communities further reinforce these drivers, yet limited access to reliable data constrains understanding and has led to a gap in literature. This study examines the links between socioeconomic factors, socio-environmental conflicts, and deforestation across the Amazon biome in Colombia. Using different sources of information, we construct a broad set of indicators and use econometric methods and machine learning (ML) techniques to identify the main drivers of forest loss. The results show that while the contribution of coca cultivation to deforestation has declined, land grabbing has emerged as a leading driver. Mining causes significant disturbances to the Amazon biome, but its link to deforestation is marginal. Other consistent predictors include poverty and the presence of basic trails and roads. The analysis also confirms that the northwestern zone remains the most threatened subregion, and that forest conservation is positively associated with the presence of Indigenous communities.

05-10-2026