An interdisciplinary review of the interplay of conflict, socio-economic factors, and land cover and vegetation dynamics in Colombia

Societal Impact Statement

Colombia's forests play a crucial role in preserving biodiversity and mitigating climate change, but they are currently facing severe degradation, particularly after the 2016 Peace Agreement. Our literature review highlights a growing research interest in this topic and demonstrates how interdisciplinary approaches combining diverse methods can enhance our understanding of the complex interplay of conflict, socioeconomic factors, and land cover changes. These insights are valuable not only for future interdisciplinary studies but also for policymakers seeking to develop more effective sustainable development initiatives. The lessons learned from Colombia's situation offer guidance for addressing similar challenges in conflict-prone regions around the world.

Summary

Colombia's forests, covering over half the country, face significant threats linked to its socio-political landscape and armed conflict history, particularly the recent peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia–People's Army (FARC-EP, for its abbreviation in Spanish) guerrillas in 2016. In this study, we conducted a systematic literature review examining the complex interplay between land cover changes, socio-political dynamics, and economic development in Colombia before and after the Peace Agreement. This review focuses mainly on deforestation, incorporating perspectives from environmental and social study disciplines, and inspecting top-down and bottom-up scaling approaches to analyze the multifaceted scenarios that emerged during this period. Our review reveals increased research interest from environmental and social sciences in understanding the environmental impacts of Colombia's civil conflict and the 2016 Peace Agreement since its signing. Environmental sciences favor top-down analyses, while social sciences prefer bottom-up methods. Interestingly, the number of interdisciplinary studies combining both methods is increasing. Multiple methodologies confirm increased environmental degradation after the Peace Agreement, especially in the Andes and Amazon regions. The power vacuum left by the guerrilla, not filled by governmental institutions, is widely acknowledged as a key source of important drivers of uncontrolled forest loss, such as land grabbing and illegal cattle ranching. External factors such as international demand for gold and illegal drugs continue to fuel environmental degradation and armed conflict, with international aid programs to local farmers often proving ineffective. Although Colombia's situation is unique, the complex interplay of social, economic, political, and environmental factors offers valuable insights for understanding similar dynamics in other conflict-prone regions globally.