COLOMBIA · ENVIRONMENT
Key Facts
- The country About 42% of Colombia’s continental territory lies in the Amazon biome, one of the largest rainforest regions on Earth. The country has been led since 7 August 2026 by conservative President Abelardo De la Espriella.
- Why it matters The revoked order had barred new mining concessions and new oil and gas contracts across the whole Colombian Amazon. US investors and forest watchers will want to see what replaces it.
- Why now The Ministry of Environment signed the revocation on Friday 23 October 2026 and announced it on Monday 26 October.
- What happened Resolution 1405 revoked Resolution 0961 of 4 August 2026 in full. The reserve declaration and its mining and oil exclusions end once the revocation is published.
- The numbers 483,283.55 square kilometres (186,597 square miles) covered, about 42.3% of continental Colombia. 566 ethnic communities were identified for consultation, and 2 annulment suits had been filed.
- What it means for you New mining and oil licences in the Amazon are no longer blocked by this order, while other forest protections stay in force. Investors and forest watchers should follow the court suits and any new measure.
- Still open When the revocation is published, how the Council of State treats the suits, and whether a new reserve follows consultation.
- Power Index Colombia ranks 6th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 51.9 points (October 2026 edition).
In Plain English
A resolution is a rule issued by a ministry, which is easier to change or cancel than a law passed by Congress. Prior consultation, or consulta previa, is a legal duty to consult Indigenous and Black communities before a measure that directly affects them is adopted.
The Council of State is Colombia’s highest court for disputes with the government and rules on annulment suits against official acts. The Amazon biome is the Colombian part of the Amazon rainforest region, spread over ten departments.
Colombia’s Ministry of Environment has revoked in full the order that declared the entire Colombian Amazon a permanent reserve and barred new mining concessions and new oil and gas contracts there. Minister Fabio Arjona signed Resolution 1405 on Friday 23 October 2026, and the ministry announced it on Monday 26 October.
The revoked Resolution 0961 was issued on 4 August 2026, days before the previous government left office on 7 August, and covered 483,283.55 square kilometres (186,597 square miles). The ministry says it was adopted before prior consultation with Black, Afro-Colombian, Raizal and Palenquera communities had ended, and that it did not by itself guarantee protection of the Amazon.
What the Revoked Order Did
Resolution 0961 was published in the Official Gazette, issue 53,577, on 5 August 2026 and declared the Amazon biome a reserve of renewable natural resources with definitive character. Its Article 4 barred new mining concessions, new contracts for oil and gas exploration or production, and new environmental licences or permits for those activities inside the area.
The environment ministry of the Petro government said on 6 August that the reserve covered 42% of the country and respected legitimately acquired rights. It added that indigenous reserves make up nearly 55% of the biome, about 26.8 million hectares.
La Silla Vacía reports that the original order let existing mining titles and oil and gas projects with valid contracts continue until their terms ended, without extension. It also suspended its effect on collective Black territories until their consultation finished.
Why the Ministry Revoked It
The resolution says the Amazon measure was adopted before the required prior consultation with Black, Afro-Colombian, Raizal and Palenquera communities had ended, which it treats as manifest opposition to the Constitution or the law. A pre-consultation meeting on 1 and 2 July 2026 in Villa Garzón, Putumayo, did not agree on a method, and the process was still open on 4 August.
Consultation with Indigenous peoples closed with a formal session on 19 and 20 July 2026 inside the Amazon Regional Table, the text says. The national consultation authority had identified 566 ethnic communities in the area of the measure in October 2025.
The decision also grants a request filed on 19 August 2026 by the Colombian Mining Professionals Association, though the ministry says it acted on its own ground and not on the association’s arguments. The ministry also learned on 6 and 19 October of two annulment suits against Resolution 0961 at the Council of State, with a request for urgent suspension, and no notice admitting them had been served.
What the Minister Says
Arjona called Resolution 0961 a resolution “expedida a último minuto por el gobierno anterior,” meaning issued at the last minute by the previous government. He said it created economic and territorial uncertainty without concrete alternatives for the people who live in the region.
The minister stresses that the decision does not mean abandoning the Amazon, because the Law 2 of 1959 forest reserve, the environmental crimes law, national park declarations and Supreme Court orders recognizing the Amazon as a subject of rights stay in force. Article 3 of the resolution also keeps the protections ordered by the Supreme Court in ruling STC-4360 of 2018 to contain deforestation.
Arjona adds that illegal mining, deforestation, land grabbing and criminal economies “no se combaten únicamente con resoluciones,” meaning they are not fought with resolutions alone. The ministry says it may adopt new protection measures once consultation and technical, environmental and legal assessments are done, and Article 4 requires prior consultation for any new measure that affects ethnic communities.
What the Revocation Allows
The revocation takes effect from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette and works forward, without undoing situations already consolidated. It tells the national mining and hydrocarbons agencies to take the legal steps needed in their information systems for any block that rested only on Resolution 0961.
La Silla Vacía quotes Arjona as saying mining and oil activity could happen legally in unrestricted territories, “Pero para nada en los territorios vedados y de alta sensibilidad ambiental,” meaning not at all in prohibited and highly sensitive areas. The outlet adds that Libero Cobre, a unit of Canadian explorer Copper Giant, holds mining titles in Mocoa, the capital of Putumayo, and has not yet needed an environmental licence because exploration does not require one.
Deforestation Pressure in the Amazon
Colombia’s environmental institute IDEAM reported on 31 July 2026 that the country lost 119,483 hectares of forest in 2025, up 5.2% from 2024, according to El Espectador. The Amazon accounted for 77,805 hectares of that loss, or 65% of the national total.
Experts Giselle Figueroa and Mauricio Cabrera argue, La Silla Vacía reports, that high gold prices rather than the reserve rules drive legal and illegal mining pressure. The sources reviewed carry no reaction to the revocation from Indigenous organizations or environmental groups.
What It Means for You
For US readers, the revocation reopens the legal route to new mining and oil and gas licences in a region that spans 42% of Colombia, while other forest protections stay in force. Investors in Colombian energy and mining, and anyone tracking forest policy, should watch the Council of State suits and any new measure that follows consultation.
National park declarations remain in force, the ministry says, so visitors to Colombia’s parks see no change. The Colombia Politics Explained guide, the coverage of the EU deforestation deadline for Colombian exports and the Colombia hub follow the government’s next steps.
What Is Not Known
The sources reviewed do not show when the revocation is published in the Official Gazette, the date from which it takes effect under Article 8. They also carry no reaction from Indigenous organizations, environmental groups or the Petro government.
Whether the Council of State rules on the two annulment suits, or treats them as moot after the revocation, is not known. Whether the ministry proposes a new reserve after consultation, and on what timeline, is also open.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Colombia revoke in the Amazon?
The Ministry of Environment revoked Resolution 0961 of 4 August 2026, which declared the Colombian Amazon a permanent reserve and barred new mining and oil and gas contracts there. Resolution 1405 of 23 October 2026 ends it in full.
Why did the ministry revoke the Amazon reserve?
It says the order was issued before prior consultation with Black, Afro-Colombian, Raizal and Palenquera communities was finished. It also says the order did not by itself guarantee protection of the Amazon.
Can mining and oil companies now work in the Colombian Amazon?
The block on new concessions and contracts that rested only on Resolution 0961 ends once the revocation is published. Other rules still apply, including the Law 2 of 1959 forest reserve, national parks and Supreme Court orders.
How big was the revoked Amazon reserve?
It covered 483,283.55 square kilometres, about 186,600 square miles, or roughly 42.3% of continental Colombia. The previous government said in August that indigenous reserves make up nearly 55% of the biome.
Who is Fabio Arjona?
Fabio Arjona Hincapié is Colombia’s Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development under President Abelardo De la Espriella. He signed Resolution 1405 on 23 October 2026.
Sources: Ministry of Environment, press release, 26 October 2026; Ministry of Environment, Resolution 1405, 23 October 2026; Ministry of Environment, Resolution 0961, 4 August 2026; Ministry of Environment, press release, 6 August 2026; La Silla Vacía, 26 October 2026; El Espectador, 26 October 2026; Cambio, 26 October 2026; El Universal, 26 October 2026; El Espectador on IDEAM deforestation data, 31 July 2026; El Tiempo, 7 August 2026.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error