Cocaine Trade (COCA)

CASE NUMBER: 16

CASE MNEMONIC: COCA

CASE NAME: Coca Trade and Land Use Changes

The production of cocaine in South America, especially the Andean region, has had a devastating impact on the environment. The environmental destruction can be seen throughout the product's life cycle effects. The effects cover a wide range of environmental problems including pesticide use, chemical dumping, deforestation, soil erosion, water pollution, a shift to mono- agriculture, bio-diversity loss, and a potential loss of cultural eco-knowledge. In an attempt to assist the Andean region, and to lessen the international drug trade, the United States has attempted to set up economic alternatives, such as the Andean Trade Preference (ATP) Act of 1991, in hopes of shifting the economies of Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador away from this highly profitable market.