BOGOTA, Colombia — (AP) — Armed groups operating in Colombia's Amazon are tightening their grip on the region and that's stalling government efforts to tackle deforestation, according to a think tank report Thursday.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) dissidents, known as EMC, have the ability to slow or accelerate deforestation at will, said the report by The International Crisis Group.

Some of the former FARC members never signed and disagree with the 2016 FARC-Colombia peace deal. Others signed it but took up arms again, while others are new to the dissident ranks either as volunteers or forced fighters, said Rodrigo Botero, director of The Foundation for Conservation and Sustainable Development (FCDS).

EMC is currently Colombia's third largest armed group, with around 3,500 members.

“This group is the most directly responsible for deforestation in the last five years," Botero said. "More than half a million hectares have been lost in their control zones.”

“Over the last year,” he said, "the EMC has given orders to the population to suspend deforestation, but this year they have increased it again."

More than 40% of Colombia is in the Amazon — an area roughly the size of Spain. The country has the world’s largest bird biodiversity. Fifteen percent of the Colombian Amazon has already been deforested, according to FCDS.

Colombia’s first leftist administration under Gustavo Petro stakes much of its legitimacy on its environmental and peace agenda, Crisis Group researcher and report coauthor Bram Ebus told The Associated Press.

“However, as Colombia’s natural environment continues to suffer from the severe impacts of conflict dynamics and economic activities that fuel violence, his political legacy is at risk,” Ebus said.

Colombia’s environment ministry said in a statement Thursday that saving the Amazon rainforest has been one of Petro’s main priorities and it has achieved a historic reduction of deforestation by 61% in the last two years.

While acknowledging “the difficulties with the dynamics of peace in the territory and the armed actors,” the ministry said it wants to build a forest development model that benefits Amazon communities, recovers the forest and stops illegal deforestation.

Previous administrations opted for punitive measures against Amazon communities complicit in deforestation, while Petro offers incentives, proposing financial aid to support forest conservation and promote sustainable livelihoods, Ebus said.

“Nevertheless, the lack of territorial control hampers the implementation of these projects, as armed groups dominate the region, often preventing communities from benefiting from state-funded initiatives,” he said.

The EMC is able to impose control over the forests through armed coercion, said Elizabeth Dickinson, Crisis Group senior analyst and report coauthor. She added that in late 2022 and March 2023 local commanders gave strict orders to communities to cease deforesting.

“Anyone who did would be subject to fines, forced community labor and even expulsion from the community," Dickinson said.

But early this year, the EMC lifted restrictions, so it could accelerate its revenue streams from deforestation, she said, adding that the group would force those deforesting to pay an extortion fee to operate.

“One of the things that was very alarming in researching this piece was the extent to which state authorities are not allowed to access areas that are under their (EMC) jurisdiction," she said. "So this includes national parks, protected areas.”

Dialogue with the EMC is an uphill battle, Ebus said, noting the group has repeatedly violated previously agreed rules during ceasefires and blocked state agencies from entering territories under its control.

“If the Petro administration truly wants to protect the Amazon, it must first regain access to these areas, as armed groups currently are calling the shots,” he said.

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