A warlord became an unlikely forest protector. Now he is cutting it down

Deforestation in Colombia fell by a third when guerrilla leader Ivan Mordisco violently enforced a ban. Why did he change tack?

- Luke Taylor

In the Amazon states of southern Colombia, patches of cattle pasture suddenly give way to trees so numerous and densely packed that the blots of emerald, lime green and white overlap as vines, leaves and tree trunks merge into one.

According to official figures, this place is a success story: the frontline of the country's fight against deforestation, which it slashed last year by 36%.

But for those who live here, the future of the forest hangs in the balance. Many believe it will be decided on the whim of a violent militia leader, who last year became one of the world's most unlikely forest protectors.

"Only one man controls these regions: Ivan Mordisco," said Miguel Tabares, who was displaced from Guaviare state when rebels threatened his life and murdered a colleague running an ecotourism project. "He is the one who is really in charge. And he does whatever the hell he wants."

Néstor Gregorio Vera Fernández - better known as Ivan Mordisco - is the leader of the Central General Staff (EMC), one of the largest armed groups in Colombia.

A list of alleged crimes, including drug trafficking, the mass killing of civilians and the forced recruitment of children, have earned him a place on the US terrorist list and made him one of Colombia's top military targets.

He also became one of the Amazon's most unexpected protectors after implementing a total ban on deforestation, and policing it with deadly force.