Colombia takes bold stand against amazon destruction, bans all new oil and mining projects

Colombia has announced a groundbreaking decision to permanently ban new oil exploration and large-scale mining projects across its entire Amazon region, which spans an impressive 42% of the country’s territory. Acting Environment Minister Irene Vélez Torres made this historic declaration during the COP30 climate summit in Brazil, announcing that Colombia’s Amazon will be designated as a protected reserve for renewable natural resources.

“This declaration is an ethical and scientific commitment,” Vélez explained, emphasizing the urgent need to prevent forest degradation, river contamination, and biodiversity loss that threatens the continent’s climate stability. The minister issued a powerful call to action for other Amazon nations, noting that while Colombia controls only 7% of the vast Amazon biome, the forest ecosystem knows no borders and requires coordinated international protection.

The announcement comes at a critical time for Amazon conservation. Currently, 871 oil and gas blocks blanket an area roughly twice the size of France across the Amazon basin, with 68% still in planning or bidding phases. Colombia’s decisive action contrasts sharply with recent moves by neighboring Brazil, which controls nearly 60% of the Amazon. Despite Brazil’s success in reducing deforestation rates, the country has simultaneously auctioned off oil blocks near Indigenous territories and approved controversial offshore drilling at the Amazon River’s mouth.

Colombia’s bold environmental stance represents a significant victory for climate activists and Indigenous communities who have long fought to protect the Amazon’s irreplaceable biodiversity and its crucial role as the planet’s “lungs.”