by Matteo Cavallito<\/p>\n
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Launched in 2019 by the Colombian government to fight deforestation, Operaci\u00f3n Artemisa<\/strong> (Operation Artemis) has reportedly produced highly unsatisfactory results. It also fueled significant criticism regarding its treatment of native peoples in protected areas. This is argued<\/a> by the Latin American branch of the U.S.-based NGO Mongabay<\/strong> and the association Cuesti\u00f3n P\u00fablica<\/strong>, highlighting how the initiative taken at the time by former President Iv\u00e1n Duque had negligible impact in protecting the territories.<\/p>\n “If one looks at Operation Artemis relative to deforestation rates, forest loss did not decrease; instead, it increased,” admitted former Bogot\u00e1 Environment Minister Manuel Rodr\u00edguez Becerra<\/strong>. “From that point of view,” he added, “it was a failure.” The opinion is shared by the associations that recall how the annual loss of forested land has risen from almost 159,000 hectares in 2019 to more than 174,000 in 2021.<\/p>\n