ORGANIZED crime in South America is a growing threat to the Amazon rainforest, according to a report published Tuesday, as the encroachment of criminal groups into protected areas fuels violence and sets back environmental preservation in the world’s largest tropical rainforest.
The report by the International Crisis Group think tank said the search for new drug trafficking routes and illegal mining areas is compelling organized crime rings to expand their reach in the Amazon basin, leading to devastating effects on the environment.
The Amazon “is under attack from organized crime”, the report concluded. “Organized crime has become one of the main obstacles to efforts to stop environmental damage in the Amazon,” said Bram Ebus, a Crisis Group expert. “What used to be primarily a conservation challenge has become a political and security crisis,” he added.
AFP
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