My name is Michelle Marchesini Vanegas. My project investigates deforestation in the Colombian Amazon and its relationship to the 2016 Colombian Peace Agreement. The Amazon rainforest is one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth, yet in Colombia it faces intense pressure from illegal logging, cattle ranching, and coca cultivation. Armed conflict accelerated these activities by pushing illicit crops deeper into remote forests, resulting in widespread habitat loss and fragmentation. With the Peace Agreement came the expectation of reduced violence and environmental degradation, but its effectiveness in curbing deforestation remains unclear.
Using high-resolution PlanetScope imagery alongside Sentinel-2 and Landsat data, I will apply vegetation indices such as NDVI and NBR, as well as change detection techniques, to monitor land-use change in selected regions of the Colombian Amazon before and after 2016. My goal is to answer: Has the Peace Agreement contributed to measurable reductions in deforestation? Are there identifiable shifts in land use that correspond to coca eradication or alternative livelihood programs? By addressing these questions, I aim to provide timely, accurate insights into the environmental consequences of peacebuilding policies, support conservation planning, and develop an open-source tool that can empower local communities to monitor deforestation.