The Instituto Humboldt released a report detailing critical environmental challenges facing Colombia and urging presidential candidates to prioritize biodiversity and climate action.

This warning comes as the nation prepares for elections. The institute said that biodiversity is the foundation for essential economic sectors, including energy, tourism, and agriculture, meaning environmental collapse would trigger economic instability.

The report, originally released in April 2024 [1], outlines six primary environmental challenges that will shape the national agenda. It said that failure to implement aggressive conservation strategies could lead to the loss of 3.2 million hectares of forest area [1].

Beyond forest loss, the institute highlights the precarious state of the country's water systems. The data suggests a projected disappearance of 24% of the nation's wetlands [1]. The report also said that dry forests are reducing, though the specific numerical scale of that loss was not quantified in the findings [1].

These ecological threats are presented as urgent priorities for policymakers. The Instituto Humboldt said that biodiversity loss is not merely an environmental issue but a systemic risk to the country's long-term viability.

By urging candidates to incorporate these findings into their platforms, the institute seeks to ensure that the next administration views climate action as a core pillar of governance. The report said that the window for preventing the disappearance of critical ecosystems is closing rapidly [1].

“Colombia could lose 3.2 million hectares of forest area.”

The report shifts the conversation from biodiversity as a conservationist goal to biodiversity as an economic necessity. By linking the survival of wetlands and forests to the stability of the agriculture and energy sectors, the Instituto Humboldt is framing climate action as a prerequisite for national economic security rather than a secondary policy objective.