FILE PHOTO: Smoke rises in the middle of an illegal road made during the deforestation of the Yari plains, in Caqueta, Colombia March 2, 2021. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez/File Photo
BOGOTA (Reuters) - Government measures to destroy illegal roads in and around Colombia's Amazon rainforest are stalled, eight sources told Reuters, with one operation suspended altogether over concerns it could set back peace talks between rebels and President Gustavo Petro's administration.
The construction of roads through rainforests in Colombia by rural communities, cattle ranchers and illegal armed groups is a major contributor to deforestation, environmental experts and scientists say. That is especially critical in the Amazon, which absorbs huge amounts of carbon that contributes to climate change and is already a focus of concern.
