Preliminary Views on Environmental Crimes and their Relation to Land Use and Land Cover in Colombia

Keywords: Colombia, Environmental Crime, Land use, Land Cover
Abstract Type: Poster Abstract

Abstract

According to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Colombia is one of the world’s most biodiverse countries. It hosts nearly 10% of the planet’s biodiversity within 314 types of ecosystems, which together enhance the country's economic appeal, supporting activities such as mining, logging, agriculture, and tourism. However, this economic potential also invites exploitation through environmental crimes that take advantage of the country’s natural resources. This ongoing study aims to analyze environmental crimes, such as illegal mining, logging, and hunting, at the municipality level and investigate their relationship with Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) characteristics. Current work involves mapping data on environmental crimes from the Colombian government and comparing them with LULC data from the European Space Agency (ESA) WorldCover and from the ESRI-ESA Sentinel-2 Land Cover to revel patterns and relationships. Preliminary analyses focus on determining hotspots where environmental crimes intersect with specific LULC types. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for assessing the broader impacts of environmental crimes on Colombia’s biodiversity and for informing future conservation and policy measures that aim to mitigate long-term negative effects.