Skip to main content

LCLUC Research on Narco-Trafficking Impacts Highlighted in 'The Guardian'

Submitted by meghavi_admin on

Nicholas Magliocca

A recent article in The Guardian highlighted research on the environmental impacts of narco-trafficking in Central America, citing a study published in Nature Sustainability. The study, led by Nicholas Magliocca, a Principal Investigator (PI) of an LCLUC project at the University of Alabama, reveals how cocaine trafficking contributes to deforestation in the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor (MBC), a biodiversity hotspot with significant conservation value. Using remote sensing and land change modeling, the research found that 15-30% of annual deforestation in countries like Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala can be attributed to cocaine trafficking. This activity threatens ecosystems, Indigenous communities, and wildlife habitats, including endangered bird species such as the golden-cheeked warbler.

This study is part of an LCLUC project focused on understanding how illicit activities drive land-cover and land-use change. Researchers emphasize that current drug enforcement strategies, which have displaced trafficking routes into vulnerable forest areas, have not been effective over the past 40 years. Instead, sustainable local development, Indigenous land governance, and stronger forest protections are critical to mitigating the impacts of narco-driven deforestation.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jun/12/rare-tropical-birds-central-america-cocaine-drugs-trade-trafficking-deforestation-study-aoe

Friday, September 20, 2024