Controls are reinforced against illegal trafficking of flora and fauna in Colombia

Published at: 29/03/2026 11:55 AM

Colombia's environmental authorities are reinforcing controls and awareness-raising campaigns against illegal trafficking in flora and fauna, which tends to intensify during Holy Week, a government source reported.

According to the representative of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, between 2023 and 2025, the scourge maintained a persistent trend in the national territory.

He stressed that the phenomenon is characterized by the operation of structured illegal chains, the increase in cases in specific seasons and a cross-cutting impact on multiple regions.

The impacts on ecosystems are significant: decline in natural populations, alteration of ecological structures, loss of ecosystem functions and greater risk of extinction of various species, the ministerial portfolio warned.

The analysis by taxonomic groups shows that reptiles are at the forefront of illegal wildlife trafficking, with more than nine thousand registered individuals, with the hicothean turtle, the spectacled alligator and the green iguana as the most affected species.

Birds constitute the second most affected group, with more than 2,600 individuals damaged, including species such as the Amazonian royal parrot, the savanna canary and the tanned parakeet.

This season, pressure is also increasing on species of wild flora used in religious celebrations, especially the wax palm, Colombia's national tree declared a national symbol by Law 61 of 1985.

Mazo News Team