Photo: Ray Shrewsberry | Unsplash
Colombia's Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies recorded a nationwide deforestation rate of 171,683 hectares (424,242 acres) in 2020, with the Guaviare department in the Amazon being one of the worst hit. Despite the damage being done, civil society efforts are already showing gains. Felipe Pipe Henao is a young environmentalist from the small town of Calamar, in Southeastern Colombia, who is changing hearts and minds. The child of farmers who cleared forest to grow coca, a plant harmful to local forests and the raw ingredient for producing cocaine, he has learned the importance of protecting the forests. Even if a thousand trees fall, we will always plant one, and our message is still the same. We know that every day they deforest and every weekend we plant 100, 200, 500 trees because every time we gather people to plant, we share with them our message, Henao said.
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