Coca
The Wall Street Journal
https://www.wsj.com/articles/cultivation-of-cocaine-producing-coca-plant-rises-to-record-in-colombia-1489524432
Coca (Erythroxylum coca) is the most profitable crop currently grown in the Amazon Basin (Killeen, 2023). Cultivation is concentrated in the western Amazon, particularly in Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia, with Peru now producing the largest share of Amazonian coca (Killeen, 2023).
The legal landscape varies by country. In Colombia, all coca cultivation is strictly illegal, pushing it entirely underground and out of regulatory reach (Killeen, 2023). In contrast, Peru and Bolivia allow coca cultivation within limits, recognizing its cultural significance. Indigenous communities have long chewed coca leaves as part of their heritage. However, leaves from legal farms are often diverted into illegal cocaine production, blurring the line between traditional use and illicit trade (Killeen, 2023)
Environmental Costs of Coca Cultivation
Coca farming and processing leave behind a toxic environmental legacy. In Colombia, where all coca is grown illegally, the use of unregulated pesticides and herbicides is widespread, often applied with little concern for health or ecological impact (U.S. Department of State, 2003).
The refinement of coca leaves into cocaine is harmful no matter where it takes place. This process involves highly toxic chemicals like toluene, sulfuric acid, acetone, and gasoline, which are often dumped untreated into soils and waterways (Mowbray, 2022). These informal labs frequently spring up in remote forested areas—leaving a patchwork of pollution behind them.
But the damage doesn’t stop there. To conceal labs and airstrips used for drug trafficking, cartels often establish legitimate-looking operations, such as cattle ranches, crop fields, or mining sites. These not only help launder drug money, but also become additional drivers of deforestation in their own right (Radwin, 2023). In this way, the cocaine trade indirectly fuels a broader wave of forest loss across the western Amazon.
When Anti-Drug Policies Backfire
Ironically, efforts to combat coca cultivation can also contribute to deforestation. One example is Colombia’s “Cattle, Not Coca” program, which aimed to replace illicit coca fields with legal cattle ranches. While well-intentioned, ranching has proven even more destructive to forests, driving clear-cutting at a larger scale than the coca it replaced (Taylor, 2023).
This highlights a recurring dilemma: even when coca is removed, the alternative land uses often continue the cycle of environmental degradation.
References:
Killeen Timothy J.(2023) A Perfect Storm in the Amazon Wilderness Second Edition
(March 17, 2003) Environmental Consequences of the Illicit Coca Trade U.S. Department of State
https://2001-2009.state.gov/p/inl/rls/fs/3807.htm
Mowbray, Sean (April 4, 2022) All coked up: The global environmental impacts of cocaine Mongabay
Radwin, Maxwell. (July 14, 2023) Drug trafficking fuels other deforestation drivers in the Amazon: report Mongabay
Taylor, Luke (February 19, 2023) Cattle, not coca, drive deforestation of the Amazon in Colombia – report Authorities have blamed the growing of coca – the base ingredient of cocaine – for clearcutting, but a recent study shows otherwise The Guardian