Juancho Torres

Photojournalism

juanchotorresvisual.visura.co/

In Defense of Sacred Land

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Location: Bogota, Colombia

Nationality: Colombian

Biography: Photographer, Environment, International News, Investigative Journalism, International Desk, Assignments, Investigation, International, Photo Editor, Feature Journalist, Education Journalism, Arts Journalism, Environmental Desk, Deputy Director,... MORE

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In Defense of Sacred Land

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In Defense of Sacred Land

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In Defense of Sacred Land

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CAQUETA, COLOMBIA - MARCH 4: An...ental harm and deadly conflict.

6 of 25 © 2024 Juancho Torres

CAQUETA, COLOMBIA - MARCH 4: An overview of the deforestation in the forest at the rural area of Puerto Rico, Caqueta, Colombia on March 04, 2023. Deforestation and conflict have been two of the most significant issues plaguing the Colombian region of Caqueta for decades. The region, located in the southern part of the country, has been the site of intense violence and environmental degradation, with the two issues often intersecting and exacerbating each other. Colombia’s vast forest is fast receding, partly because guerrillas and criminals are clearing land for farming, ranching, and other pursuits. These unregulated activities are causing both dire environmental harm and deadly conflict.

LETICIA, AMAZONAS, COLOMBIA- FE... to the indigenous of the area.

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LETICIA, AMAZONAS, COLOMBIA- FEBRUARY 26: Hunting is part of the tradition of the Indigenous communities at the Amazon in Leticia, Colombia on February 26, 2019. Thousands of tourists from different regions of the world travel to Latin America to learn a little bit about the natural, cultural and social immensity of the Amazon basin. Few places in Colombia can afford to be a refuge of peace, they haven't had the Colombian conflict so present during the years, but it is a territory which has been forgotten by the government. In terms of public services, the inhabitants say that although they have been growing, there is still a need for at least 30% of the population to have electricity and drinking water. This region stretches along the borders of 9 countries where indigenous cultures and endemic species survive on the banks of one of the longest and dangerous rivers in the world. The imposing river houses indigenous communities, of which almost nobody in the country knows. Isolation and forgetting mark its history, they're looking to change this part working in different projects what embrace ecotourism and social inclusion to the indigenous of the area.

CASANARE, COLOMBIA - AUGUST 27:...dolu Agency ) Colombia Colombia

8 of 25 © 2024 Juancho Torres

CASANARE, COLOMBIA - AUGUST 27: An aerial view of a field in Casanare, Colombia on August 27, 2022. Peasant, indigenous, urban communities, and social organizations have been working around the issue of defending and caring for the territories in the department. Casanare is a department marked by the extraction of hydrocarbons. Currently, in its different municipalities, it is known that there are approximately 300 companies dedicated to the oil industry. Since the 1980s, with the discovery of two deposits in the municipalities of Tauramena and Aguazul, an industry began in the territory that has generated multiple impacts on the environment and on the communities in the municipalities where oil companies are present. These communities have been fighting against seismic exploration, and several environmental leaders in the region have even had to face jail and several deaths for publicly opposing these practices that destroy natural resources. ( Juancho Torres - Anadolu Agency ) Colombia Colombia

In Defense of Sacred Land

9 of 25 © 2024 Juancho Torres

LETICIA, AMAZONAS, COLOMBIA- FE... to the indigenous of the area.

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LETICIA, AMAZONAS, COLOMBIA- FEBRUARY 26: An Indigenous Ticuna girl from the San Pedro de los Lagos community is seen playing at the reservation in Leticia, Colombia on February 26, 2019. Thousands of tourists from different regions of the world travel to Latin America to learn a little bit about the natural, cultural and social immensity of the Amazon basin. Few places in Colombia can afford to be a refuge of peace, they haven't had the Colombian conflict so present during the years, but it is a territory which has been forgotten by the government. In terms of public services, the inhabitants say that although they have been growing, there is still a need for at least 30% of the population to have electricity and drinking water. This region stretches along the borders of 9 countries where indigenous cultures and endemic species survive on the banks of one of the longest and dangerous rivers in the world. The imposing river houses indigenous communities, of which almost nobody in the country knows. Isolation and forgetting mark its history, they're looking to change this part working in different projects what embrace ecotourism and social inclusion to the indigenous of the area.

MANACACIAS, COLOMBIA - MARCH 16...onal System of Protected Areas.

11 of 25 © 2024 Juancho Torres

MANACACIAS, COLOMBIA - MARCH 16: The Serranía de Manacacías could be considered an earthly paradise, due to its environmental richness, which is not seen in any other part of the country. Its fauna and flora are exclusive to this sector in Manacacias, Meta, Colombia on March 15, 2022. The Manacacías mountain range, located in the department of Meta, is a paradise. Not surprisingly, scientists have managed to record up to a quarter (460) of the bird species in Colombia (1,900), the country with the greatest diversity of birds in the world. This natural paradise encompasses ecosystems such as dissected savannahs (also known as undulating savannahs) and gallery forests that are poorly represented in the National System of Protected Areas.

GUAVIARE, COLOMBIA - MARCH 24: ...ng freshwater dolphin survival.

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GUAVIARE, COLOMBIA - MARCH 24: Amazon pink river dolphin (Inia geoffrensis) or delfin rosado, is seen at Damas del Nare lake in Guaviare, Colombia on March 24, 2021. The Guaviare department, the door of the Colombian Amazon is becoming a tourist destination for sighting hundreds of birds or pink river dolphins, in this way industry is being consolidated to stop deforestation at the door of the Colombian Amazon. River dolphins are amongst the world’s most endangered cetaceans. Virtually wiped out in Asia as a result of competition with people for living space and fish, South America’s rivers present the best chance for ongoing freshwater dolphin survival.

CAPA RIVER, COLOMBIA - OCTOBER ...cipal seat of Lloró.

13 of 25 © 2024 Juancho Torres

CAPA RIVER, COLOMBIA - OCTOBER 10: Embera Dobida indigenous people are seen during their regular activities at the Mindo Community next to the Capa River in Choco, Colombia on October 10, 2021. In 2010, this community experienced difficult circumstances due to the close confrontations between the Guerrilla called National Liberation Army - ELN and the National Army of Colombia, which led them to move to this place and restart a new life. today the community is called Boca de Mindó. Since living there, their life has been calmer due to its location on the banks of the Capa River and its proximity to the municipal seat of Lloró.

LETICIA, AMAZONAS, COLOMBIA - A...chieve sustainable development.

14 of 25 © 2024 Juancho Torres

LETICIA, AMAZONAS, COLOMBIA - AUGUST 30: Indigenous of the Yussy Monilla Amena community from the Colombian Amazon during the PreCOP of Biodiversity in Leticia, Colombia on August 30, 2021. As the negotiations for a Global Biodiversity Framework are moving forward ahead of the crucial COP15 meeting of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, the representatives of three political coalitions endorsed by 116 countries have joined forces at the PreCOP event hosted by the Government of Colombia. Together they reaffirm the urgency of reversing biodiversity loss by 2030 to address the interdependent crises of biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation, and climate change and achieve sustainable development.

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LETICIA, AMAZONAS, COLOMBIA- FE... to the indigenous of the area.

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LETICIA, AMAZONAS, COLOMBIA- FEBRUARY 23: Mojojoy worm, one of the most exotic dishes for the Indigenous in the Amazon region is seen at the indigenous market place in Leticia, Colombia on February 23, 2019. Thousands of tourists from different regions of the world travel to Latin America to learn a little bit about the natural, cultural and social immensity of the Amazon basin. Few places in Colombia can afford to be a refuge of peace, they haven't had the Colombian conflict so present during the years, but it is a territory which has been forgotten by the government. In terms of public services, the inhabitants say that although they have been growing, there is still a need for at least 30% of the population to have electricity and drinking water. This region stretches along the borders of 9 countries where indigenous cultures and endemic species survive on the banks of one of the longest and dangerous rivers in the world. The imposing river houses indigenous communities, of which almost nobody in the country knows. Isolation and forgetting mark its history, they're looking to change this part working in different projects what embrace ecotourism and social inclusion to the indigenous of the area.

In Defense of Sacred Land

17 of 25 © 2024 Juancho Torres

CASANARE, COLOMBIA - AUGUST 27:...dolu Agency ) Colombia Colombia

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CASANARE, COLOMBIA - AUGUST 27: A view of flame from oil refinery flare stack in Casanare, Colombia on August 27, 2022. Peasant, indigenous, urban communities, and social organizations have been working around the issue of defending and caring for the territories in the department. Casanare is a department marked by the extraction of hydrocarbons. Currently, in its different municipalities, it is known that there are approximately 300 companies dedicated to the oil industry. Since the 1980s, with the discovery of two deposits in the municipalities of Tauramena and Aguazul, an industry began in the territory that has generated multiple impacts on the environment and on the communities in the municipalities where oil companies are present. These communities have been fighting against seismic exploration, and several environmental leaders in the region have even had to face jail and several deaths for publicly opposing these practices that destroy natural resources. ( Juancho Torres - Anadolu Agency ) Colombia Colombia

In Defense of Sacred Land

19 of 25 © 2024 Juancho Torres

CASANARE, COLOMBIA - AUGUST 27:...dolu Agency ) Colombia Colombia

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CASANARE, COLOMBIA - AUGUST 27: Peasant, indigenous, urban communities, and social organizations have been working around the issue of defending and caring for the territories in the department in Casanare, Colombia on August 27, 2022. Casanare is a department marked by the extraction of hydrocarbons. Currently, in its different municipalities, it is known that there are approximately 300 companies dedicated to the oil industry. Since the 1980s, with the discovery of two deposits in the municipalities of Tauramena and Aguazul, an industry began in the territory that has generated multiple impacts on the environment and on the communities in the municipalities where oil companies are present. These communities have been fighting against seismic exploration, and several environmental leaders in the region have even had to face jail and several deaths for publicly opposing these practices that destroy natural resources. ( Juancho Torres - Anadolu Agency ) Colombia Colombia

LETICIA, AMAZONAS, COLOMBIA- FE... to the indigenous of the area.

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LETICIA, AMAZONAS, COLOMBIA- FEBRUARY 26: The pollution of the Amazon River presents an incalculable threat due to the account of garbage and waste that are causing irreparable damage to the environment in Leticia, Colombia on February 26, 2019. Thousands of tourists from different regions of the world travel to Latin America to learn a little bit about the natural, cultural and social immensity of the Amazon basin. Few places in Colombia can afford to be a refuge of peace, they haven't had the Colombian conflict so present during the years, but it is a territory which has been forgotten by the government. In terms of public services, the inhabitants say that although they have been growing, there is still a need for at least 30% of the population to have electricity and drinking water. This region stretches along the borders of 9 countries where indigenous cultures and endemic species survive on the banks of one of the longest and dangerous rivers in the world. The imposing river houses indigenous communities, of which almost nobody in the country knows. Isolation and forgetting mark its history, they're looking to change this part working in different projects what embrace ecotourism and social inclusion to the indigenous of the area.

CAPA RIVER, COLOMBIA - OCTOBER ...cipal seat of Lloró.

22 of 25 © 2024 Juancho Torres

CAPA RIVER, COLOMBIA - OCTOBER 10: Embera Dobida indigenous people are seen during their regular activities at the Mindo Community next to the Capa River in Choco, Colombia on October 10, 2021. In 2010, this community experienced difficult circumstances due to the close confrontations between the Guerrilla called National Liberation Army - ELN and the National Army of Colombia, which led them to move to this place and restart a new life. today the community is called Boca de Mindó. Since living there, their life has been calmer due to its location on the banks of the Capa River and its proximity to the municipal seat of Lloró.

CASANARE, COLOMBIA - AUGUST 27:...dolu Agency ) Colombia Colombia

23 of 25 © 2024 Juancho Torres

CASANARE, COLOMBIA - AUGUST 27: A Colombian man is seen next to the oil pipeline at field in Casanare, Colombia on August 27, 2022. Peasant, indigenous, urban communities, and social organizations have been working around the issue of defending and caring for the territories in the department. Casanare is a department marked by the extraction of hydrocarbons. Currently, in its different municipalities, it is known that there are approximately 300 companies dedicated to the oil industry. Since the 1980s, with the discovery of two deposits in the municipalities of Tauramena and Aguazul, an industry began in the territory that has generated multiple impacts on the environment and on the communities in the municipalities where oil companies are present. These communities have been fighting against seismic exploration, and several environmental leaders in the region have even had to face jail and several deaths for publicly opposing these practices that destroy natural resources. ( Juancho Torres - Anadolu Agency ) Colombia Colombia

In Defense of Sacred Land

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In Defense of Sacred Land

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In Defense of Sacred Land

Copyright Juancho Torres 2024

Updated Nov 2023

The Amazonian expanse of Colombia (Caqueta, Guaviare, Amazonas, and Brazil's Anatalia do norte), the aftermath of an unforeseen consequence becomes evident. In 2016, as 7,000 Farc guerrillas laid down their weapons, a new threat unfolded: the degradation of the country's vital forests. Exploiting the void left by Farc, armed groups capitalized on extensive land grabs, leaving vast areas devastated.

Despite strenuous military efforts and global pressure, successive governments grappled with the challenge of curbing deforestation, particularly in the Amazon. Negotiators now acknowledge a critical oversight—the failure to recognize the environment as a pivotal aspect of the peace agreement.

Under the leadership of President Gustavo Petro, Colombia is embracing a fresh approach, vowing to achieve "total peace" through dialogue with armed groups while prioritizing the environment in peace agreements. Guaviare state, a pivotal battleground in these efforts, lies at the juncture of arid plains and the pristine Amazon rainforest, representing the delicate equilibrium between peace, environmental preservation, and the nation's intricate challenges.

Juancho Torres/ Anadolu Agency

Colombia deforestation plummets as peace efforts focus on rainforest
Official figures show deforestation fell 26% in Colombian Amazon last year and 29% nationwide
Theguardian.com

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