MAPPING FLOWS OF WATER

Aerial fumigation, or the spraying of the herbicide by plane, is a practice implemented by the Colombian government to destroy crops deemed illegal— specifically contributes to environmental concerns already ongoing in the Sierra Nevada de Santa, including deforestation. Herbicide spraying not only results in soil degradation, but also encourages a type of “triple deforestation” which is cyclical and compounding. In order to begin coca cultivation, areas of forested land are first cleared by farmers to prepare for the illegal crops. If and when aerial fumigation destroys those crops, the land is made non-viable for any form of cultivation; thereby motivating farmers to relocate to another location and begin the process over again. This relocation of cultivation site may result in the new deforestation of higher elevation protected forests, or even indigenous lands.

Glyphosate spraying causes general ecosystem contamination resulting in the erosion of soil and the poisoning of aquatic life, effects which are long-lasting due to the long timeline of regeneration for temperate ecosystems. Herbicide spraying contaminates the surrounding soil for years, if not decades, following fumigation. Upon spraying, plants (both coca and other plant-life) typically die after several days: once the foliage of a plant absorbs the glyphosate, it spreads throughout the entire plant. Leaves of affected plants often appear almost burnt. This poisoning is the case forlegal crops, harming the farming industry, and contributing to issues of food insecurity; as well as trees in nearby forested areas, contributing to deforestation.