To obtain land and materials such as pencils and paper, trees are often cut down to meet our needs, but at what cost? In Colombia and Panama, Indigenous communities are fighting for environmental justice against deforestation. Over the past 5 years, the Nasa people in northern Cauca, Colombia, have reclaimed nearly 865 acres of degraded sugarcane fields. Concurrently, communities in the Comarca Embera of Panama's Darien Gap are facing multiple injustices including illegal logging, river contamination, and coca cultivation, which are all driven by criminal groups and migration routes.
In 2019, in northern Cauca, Colombia, the Indigenous Nasa people reclaimed nearly 865 acres of land. For years, these stolen lands were drained by industrial sugarcane fields. However, Indigenous families have transformed the degraded sugarcane fields into plots of corn, rice, beans, cassava, and plantains, restoring their overall ecological health. As a rite of passage, children are splashed with water to protect their souls and "open the path," symbolizing the connection between them and their land.
From 2020-2023, nearly $24 million worth of timber, approximately 30,000 trees, have been exported from the Choco and Antioquia regions without certifications under Colombian law. Under investigation, it has been revealed that 95% of timber exports in these regions lack proper documentation, with 17 U.S companies importing more than $4 million worth of this unapproved timber. Most loggers working in these forests experience terrible working conditions, facing labor abuse and receiving petty payments of food, alcohol, or tools instead of proper payments.
In Panama's Darien Gap, the Comarca Embera community faces ongoing threats from outside forces. Migration routes through the regions have polluted rivers with more than 2,500 tons of trash, gasoline, and human waste, resulting in cleanup costs of nearly $12 million. Criminal groups like the Gulf Clan have taken advantage of these forests by clearing the nourishing lands for coca cultivation and profiting from illegal logging. Since 2023, the rate of deforestation has increased rapidly according to Global Forest Watch data.