An alert study on the massive increase in drug trafficking activity in the five most important forest areas of the isthmus, including La Mosquitia.
The study explains that cocaine smuggling leads to deforestation for various reasons, – Studys warn that conventional cocaine seizure strategies exacerbate the problem by forcing traffickers to move their operations to new areas of high ecological value.
A recent study published in Nature Sustainability reveals that drug trafficking in Central America is causing alarming deforestation and endangering biodiversity, affecting both local birds and migratory birds.
“Cocaine trafficking in Central America is causing severe deforestation and the destruction of the natural habitat of resident and migratory birds,” according to the Intersection of drug trafficking, law enforcement and bird conservation in the Americas, formulated by scientists from several U.S. universities.
Deforestation poses a serious threat to resident and migratory birds in Central America, half of which have declined since 1970, says the report published in Nature Sustainability.
The study
The study reveals that, following seizures of cocaine and other anti-narcotics operations, there was a massive increase in the suitability of the five most important forest areas in Central America for drug trafficking activity.
Among the areas most affected are the Mayan Forest in Guatemala, the Indian-Maíz Reserve in Nicaragua, Tortuguero in Costa Rica and La Mosquitia in Honduras.
“Because deforestation caused by narcos is a threat multiplier, the convergence of areas important for trafficking in birds, forests and drug trafficking poses a credible threat to the conservation of biodiversity,” scientists stress.
Golden cheek curruca, Setophaga chrysoparia, one of the endangered birds.
Deforestation
The study explains that cocaine smuggling leads to deforestation for a number of reasons, including the illegal construction of roads and runways, the expansion of livestock pastures to launder money and control territory, as well as land grabbing and resource extraction in remote regions, including protected areas and indigenous lands.
In addition, cocaine production and smuggling are linked to illegal mining, which also has a devastating impact on the environment.
The research also examines the impact of these changes on birds, such as the golden cheek curruca, an endangered species in the United States and on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
Operations make narcos migrate
Scientists warn that conventional cocaine seizure strategies aggravate the problem by forcing traffickers to move their operations to new areas of high ecological value.
Alternatively, the researchers suggest working with indigenous communities in these landscapes to help them deter traffickers from settling in, and use detection to do so.
Scientists have identified unique patterns of deforestation attributable to drug trafficking, finding that between 15 percent and 30 percent of annual deforestation in Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala is solely due to the cocaine movement.
This article has been translated after first appearing in Tunota