Transforming Illegal Logging in Colombia through Judicial Education

Over three years, ELI’s proposed project to transform illegal logging in Colombia will build the capacity of the Colombian judiciary to hear and adjudicate cases related to illegal logging. The project will build awareness and technical capacity among every judge and magistrate (300 total) in the four departments of Colombia most affected by illegal logging: Caquetá, Guaviare, Meta, and Putumayo. As well, the project will train the 63 appellate judges in Bogotá who would hear appeals from the judges in the departments. No efforts to protect forests in southern Colombia focus on the judiciary. In tandem with existing efforts (e.g., by UNODC and Norway) to build the capacity of investigators, prosecutors, and communities, ELI’s project will fill a crucial gap in the enforcement cycle necessary to transform the enforcement of laws on illegal logging. By training all the relevant judges, the project will foster a transformation of judicial culture in favor of effective enforcement of laws preventing and punishing illegal logging. By engaging Colombian judicial institutions and legal experts in developing and delivering the courses, the project will build capacity for sustaining and expanding trainings after the completion of the course. And by conducting a sustained and complementary outreach and media campaign, the project will support a transformation toward a culture of compliance. Swedish legal experts—including Judge Anders Bengtsson and Professor Jonas Ebbesson—will provide support in developing course materials and delivering the course. ELI’s core team includes the Global Green Growth Institute, the Universidad del Rosario, the Universidad Externado de Colombia, and the Rodrigo Lara Bonilla Judicial School. ELI also anticipates collaborating with the Swedish EPA, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Brazilian judges, the Global Judicial Institute on the Environment, and the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting.