Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to understand the dynamics behind the expansion and consolidation of coca crops in the National Natural Parks of the Colombian National System of Protected Areas –SINAP-, based on fieldwork carried out in the national parks Catatumbo Bari (Norte de Santander), Alto Fragua Indi Wasi (Caqueta), and Farallones de Cali (Valle del Cauca), which have approximately 1.500 hectares of coca crops. This fieldwork has allowed us to identify the drivers behind the growth of coca in areas destined for environmental protection, as well as the different policies and programs that the Colombian Government has designed to respond to the presence of coca crops in these territories. Based on these inputs, we opened the discussion on the need to rethink the governance model for Colombia’s protected areas. To this end, we propose the formulation of a Special and Transitional Management Regime for Peasants (REMC) in protected areas, which will allow for a balance between the conservation objectives of these territories and respect for the rights of the peasants who have historically settled there.
Highlights
Colombia is the world’s leading producer of coca leaf
A detailed review shows that the period when most of the parks had no coca crops was between 2001 and 2010, a period that coincides precisely with the approval of eradication by aerial spraying in the protected areas and, more generally, with the most intense stage of the eradication policy in Colombia
Four workshops were held—three regional and one national—between August and December 2019, which were intended to capture a plurality of opinions on: 1) Current alternatives for illicit crop substitution; 2) characteristics of coca-growing populations in National Natural Parks; 3) background and current experiences of voluntary eradication and crop substitution in National Natural Parks; and 4) local, regional, and national views on illicit crop substitution, rural development, and environmental protection in Colombia
Summary
Illicit Crop Cultivation in Colombia’s National Natural Parks: Dynamics, Drivers, and Policy Responses. The purpose of this paper is to understand the dynamics behind the expansion and consolidation of coca crops in the National Natural Parks of the Colombian National System of Protected Areas –SINAP-, based on fieldwork carried out in the national parks Catatumbo Barí (Norte de Santander), Alto Fragua Indi Wasi (Caquetá), and Farallones de Cali (Valle del Cauca), which have approximately 1.500 hectares of coca crops This fieldwork has allowed us to identify the drivers behind the growth of coca in areas destined for environmental protection, as well as the different policies and programs that the Colombian Government has designed to respond to the presence of coca crops in these territories.
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