High-Level delegation visits Vaupés and Amazonas to highlight transnational crime impacts and promote institutional action in vulnerable areas

Bogotá, August 5, 2025 - Between August 4 and 5, a high-level delegation including representatives from the Colombian Government, Indigenous Peoples, the international community, and social organizations visited the departments of Amazonas and Vaupés to highlight the impacts of illegal mining, the presence of armed groups, the advance of the agricultural frontier, and other pressures threatening the integrity of Amazonian ecosystems and the lives of local communities living in these areas. The visit also seeked to recognize local efforts to consolidate governance and conservation processes, such as the case of the Macro-Territory Jaguares del Yuruparí, which is on track toward the establishment of Indigenous Territorial Entities.

Among the participants are Gilles Bertrand, Ambassador of the European Union to Colombia; Paulo Estivallet de Mesquita, Ambassador of Brazil to Colombia; Iris Marín Ortiz, Ombudsman; Luisz Olmedo, Director of National Natural Parks; Rodrigo Botero, Director of the Foundation for Conservation and Sustainable Development; Senator Julio César Estrada; and journalist María Jimena Duzán.

The visit took place within the framework of the project "Security, Conflict, and Environment in the Amazon," an initiative of the European Union in alliance with Colombia's Foundation for Conservation and Sustainable Development (FCDS) and Brazil's Igarapé Institute. Its goal is to generate rigorous, strategic information to help decision-makers deeply understand the dynamics of crime and environmental conflicts, as well as their impact on nature protection and the integrity of diverse communities in Colombia, Brazil, and other countries sharing the Northwest Amazon.

On this matter, Gilles Bertrand, the European Union Ambassador, states: "In addition to deforestation and agricultural pressure on its edges, the Amazon faces the lesser-known danger of being eroded by transnational crime from its very heart-primary forest areas and isolated Indigenous populations cut off from the rest of the world. In recent years, remote regions of the Colombian Amazon have seen a sharp increase in drug trafficking toward Brazil and Europe, along with an alarming expansion of illegal mining run by large criminal groups. Here, dynamics connected to environmental, security and defense, and human rights issues are at play. For this reason, we consider it essential to foster more spaces for coordination and advocacy with governments, local authorities, communities, armies, environmental defenders, and scientists from all Northwest Amazon countries, as well as the rest of the international community."

"At the Ombudsman's Office, we have warned of the serious risks illegal mining poses to Amazonian ecosystems and Indigenous Peoples' lives through Early Warning 07 of 2024. During the overflight between San José del Guaviare and Mitú, we confirmed alarming damage to the Puré River in an area inhabited by voluntary isolated Indigenous Peoples. National and international institutions must urgently join forces to halt this environmental devastation and protect these communities' autonomy and lives," states Iris Marín Ortiz, Ombudsman.

The August 4 agenda included an overflight of key areas along the Puré River, La Pedrera, and Vaupés. There, the delegation observed zones affected by illegal mining, places where National Parks had to suspend their presence due to armed threats, and also well-conserved territories under Indigenous authorities' leadership. The goal is to highlight both threats and advances in conservation and self-governance.

Luisz Olmedo Martínez, General Director of Colombia's National Natural Parks, comments: "At National Natural Parks, we have been working decisively to protect strategic territories like Río Puré National Natural Park, home to voluntary isolated Indigenous Peoples. Our efforts have focused on coordinating with Indigenous authorities, strengthening territorial governance, and raising awareness of the threats these areas face from illegal economies. This mission with the European Union reaffirms the importance of joint, sustained action to guarantee the lives, biodiversity, and rights of those who inhabit and care for the Amazon."

For Rodrigo Botero, director of the Foundation for Conservation and Sustainable Development (FCDS), "the visit to the Puré is a historic opportunity to seal a commitment among high-level government actors, international cooperation, the State, and civil society in the same setting, and to recognize the imminent need to protect territories and populations impacted by transnational criminality. This requires synergistic, intersectoral action with coordination among Amazonian countries, strengthened rights for Indigenous authorities, and especially an urgent call ahead of the meeting of presidents from OTCA member countries (Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization) for the protection of voluntary isolated Indigenous Peoples, who are on the verge of contact that could lead to their imminent disappearance."

Visits to areas like Taraira and La Pedrera in the departments of Vaupés and Amazonas are particularly relevant due to the growth of illicit economies in the region, such as marijuana trafficking and illegal gold mining. These activities are controlled by cross-border armed groups that impose their rules on local communities, severely affecting security, governance, and environmental balance in these border territories.

On August 5, a dialogue space was held in Mitú. This meeting addressed the situation of voluntary isolated Indigenous Peoples in Río Puré National Natural Park, security and State presence challenges, and opportunities for coordinated action among cultures to protect territory and fundamental rights.

The actors involved in this visit seek to join forces to confront environmental criminality, strengthen State presence in forgotten areas, and bolster Indigenous governance. The visit also represents a key opportunity to reaffirm national and international commitment to a living, autonomous, and peaceful Amazon.