Illicit Drugs and Convergent Crime in the Amazon Basin: Sustainable Responses to Crime-led Environmental Degradation
A Talk by Juan Carlos Garzón Vergara , Barbara Souto , Angela Me , Mauricio Velasquez and Hanna Rozhkova
About this Talk
In recent years, environmental impacts of illicit drug crop cultivation, drug production and drug policies have gained growing interest and awareness. The UN World Drug Report’s (WDR) 2022 special chapter on "Drugs and the Environment" as well as the WDR 2023 booklet “Contemporary issues on Drugs” compiled evidence on the multiple impacts of drug-related crime, environmental crime, and convergent crime on natural and social systems in the Amazon Basin.
In this context, the panel will discuss how to sustainably address the complex nexus between drug related crime and other crimes that affect the environment. The event’s focus extends beyond highlighting the impacts of this crime ecosystem, also exploring sustainable policy responses, the cooperation between sectors (e.g. drug policy, environmental authorities, agriculture) and stakeholders (e.g. government, local communities, NGOs, private sector).