Tropentag, September 11 - 13, 2024, Vienna "Explore opportunities... for managing natural resources and a better life for all"

Identifying policy gaps to address the main causes and drivers of tropical deforestation: a case study in the Colombia

¹Wageningen University, Land Use Planning
²University of the Andes, Interdisciplinary Centre of Development Studies
³University of the Andes, Interdisciplinary Centre of Development Studies
⁴University of the Andes, Interdisciplinary Centre of Development Studies

Abstract

There exists a clear understanding of the main factors driving deforestation and the cultural, social and environmental need to control it. Yet, tropical deforestation remains a significant a major challenge related to cultural and biological diversity loss, and climate change among others. Public policy plays a crucial role in controlling tropical deforestation, but gaps in its formulation, operationalisation, and implementation persist. A lack of detailed analysis on policy gaps is especially evident in tropical deforestation. Our study identifies major policy gaps in a deforestation frontier in the Colombian Amazon during the post-conflict period. The aim of this paper is to enhance our understanding of why public policies might not work in controlling deforestation. Specifically, this analysis identified potential gaps in the formulation, operationalisation, and implementation of a major national policy framework to control deforestation in Colombia. We combined secondary literature on deforestation drivers, existing databases, institutional capacity analyses, and national statistics to identify and delineate these policy gaps. The results indicate that land speculation, a power vacuum, the expansion of pastures, cattle ranching, and infrastructure development are major drivers of deforestation in the study area. Additionally, deforestation in the area is linked to systemic and structural challenges in institutional capacity, broadening existing policy gaps. These challenges include the exclusion of the main drivers in policy formulation, a lack of local capacity and resources for policy implementation, diverging visions and preferences for regional development, centralisation, and policy obsolescence. Based on these identified gaps, we propose potential policy interventions to address them in the study area and other tropical regions.

Keywords: Environmental policy, Guaviare, institutional capacity, land grabbing, land speculation, land tenure, land use/cover change

Contact Address: Diego Valbuena, Wageningen University, Land Use Planning, po Box 47, 6700AA Wageningen, The Netherlands, e-mail: diego.valbuenawur.nl