Colombia is not exactly overwhelmed by visitors yet, but the Chocó hardly sees any: during my time there I encountered a small group of foreigners staying at a few hostels and ecolodges, but, but and large, there were very few people visiting. This is part of the reason why the region is the poorest in Colombia, but for travelers this isolation represents a truly off-the-beaten-path spot. There is virtually no road transportation in the region, and most people arrive by small planes flown over the jungle (more on that later) or long boat journeys from Buenaventura. To experience somewhere truly off-the-beaten-track… Utria National Park, seen from the PacificĪ visit to the Chocó is a visit to a Colombian region that is relatively cut-off from the rest of the country. So here are 10 reasons why you have to visit the Chocó (and, for the sake of clarity, this is just going to include the Pacific and inland parts of the Chocó: you can read all about visiting the Caribbean section here)…ġ. It’s much easier and safer than people think to visit the Chocó: there are regular flights to the major settlements, and although it’s not a low-budget journey, once you are there the costs aren’t too high. The principal reason for my visit to the Chocó was to watch the humpback whales that come to the area for a few months every year to breed and give birth, but I have found that there are plenty of highly persuasive reasons to plan a visit there, even if you can’t make it during whale season. However, in some areas deforestation numbers "have risen significantly," Muhamad said, highlighting the provinces of Putumayo and Choco, as well as the San Lucas mountain range.ĭeforestation in 12 of Colombia's national parks in the Amazon during the first quarter of 2023 fell drastically to 398 hectares (3.98 square kilometers), from 9,260 hectares (92.6 square kilometers) in the year-earlier period, Muhamad added.īetween 20, more than 31,000 square kilometers of forest were destroyed in Colombia, of which some 18,600 square kilometers were deforested in the country's Amazon.Ĭolombia's government will publish full deforestation figures for 2022 in June, Muhamad said.I spent 5 days in Colombia’s Chocó department in late August: it was my second visit to this Pacific coast department, and I can say with some certainty that it won’t be the last. The projected national decrease is a result of a 15% to 25% fall in deforestation in three provinces which fall within Colombia's Amazon region, Muhamad said, which traditionally accounts for close to two-thirds of forest destruction in the country. "We hope to have a total reduction (of deforestation) across the country of between 5% and 10%," Muhamad said during a press conference at the environment ministry.Ī 10% decrease in deforestation would take the total area of forest destroyed during 2022 in Colombia to below the 1,589 square kilometers registered in 2019, the first full year of the administration of former President Ivan Duque. The South American country is one of the world's most biodiverse, with swathes of its continental territory covered by Amazon rainforest, which scientists say is vital to curbing catastrophic climate change, because of the vast amounts of greenhouse gases it absorbs.ĭeforestation in Colombia in 2021 rose 1.5% versus the previous year to 1,741 square kilometers (430,218 acres), representing an area twice the size of New York City. BOGOTA, May 16 (Reuters) - Deforestation in Colombia during 2022 is forecast to have fallen by up to 10% versus the previous year, Environment Minister Susana Muhamad said on Tuesday, citing significant decreases in the country's Amazon.
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