Colombia · La Guajira Department · 2 cities
Air quality in La Guajira Department today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now, Maicao has the cleanest air of the 2 cities we track in La Guajira Department (AQI 52, Moderate), and Riohacha the worst (AQI 53, Moderate). Riohacha has the most tree cover, at 20.8% — #25 of 48 cities measured in Colombia.
Every city is measured the same way, over the same 2 km around its center: the air quality right now, from ground stations where there are any, and its tree cover.
- cities tracked
- 2
- average tree cover
- 13.4%
- Colombia: 24.8%
- worst air now: Riohacha
- 53
- cleanest air now: Maicao
- 52
Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf, refreshed hourly.
La Guajira Department
Air quality today across La Guajira Department, city by city
| Riohacha | 53Moderate | 20.8% | 24.9K | #25 of 48 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maicao | 52Moderate | 5.9% | 75.7K | #46 of 48 |
Air quality is the US AQI from ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ where available, otherwise the Open-Meteo / CAMS model, refreshed hourly. Tree cover is measured within 2 km of each city center from Sentinel-2 imagery; the rank compares every city measured in Colombia.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has La Guajira Department lost?
Since 2001, La Guajira Department has lost about 79,900 hectares of forest (about 110,000 football pitches): 12% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (95%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 79,900 haabout 110,000 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 12%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 75,800 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 8,880 ha | 166 ha | 9,050 ha |
| 2002 | 1,800 ha | 169 ha | 1,970 ha |
| 2003 | 6,810 ha | 269 ha | 7,080 ha |
| 2004 | 1,440 ha | 59 ha | 1,500 ha |
| 2005 | 2,710 ha | 92 ha | 2,800 ha |
| 2006 | 3,480 ha | 116 ha | 3,590 ha |
| 2007 | 3,700 ha | 132 ha | 3,830 ha |
| 2008 | 3,110 ha | 118 ha | 3,220 ha |
| 2009 | 3,390 ha | 141 ha | 3,530 ha |
| 2010 | 1,960 ha | 123 ha | 2,080 ha |
| 2011 | 2,750 ha | 96 ha | 2,850 ha |
| 2012 | 3,390 ha | 131 ha | 3,520 ha |
| 2013 | 1,740 ha | 45 ha | 1,790 ha |
| 2014 | 3,360 ha | 146 ha | 3,510 ha |
| 2015 | 2,760 ha | 250 ha | 3,010 ha |
| 2016 | 2,490 ha | 465 ha | 2,960 ha |
| 2017 | 2,660 ha | 395 ha | 3,050 ha |
| 2018 | 3,160 ha | 177 ha | 3,330 ha |
| 2019 | 2,810 ha | 188 ha | 3,000 ha |
| 2020 | 2,320 ha | 164 ha | 2,480 ha |
| 2021 | 2,140 ha | 100 ha | 2,240 ha |
| 2022 | 2,070 ha | 78 ha | 2,150 ha |
| 2023 | 3,440 ha | 126 ha | 3,570 ha |
| 2024 | 1,120 ha | 91 ha | 1,210 ha |
| 2025 | 2,360 ha | 208 ha | 2,570 ha |
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 2,350 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 2,960 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2001, when about 9,050 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in La Guajira Department?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good90% · 71,800 ha
- Mining and energycleared for good4.9% · 3,880 ha
- Shifting farmingcan grow back3.6% · 2,920 ha
Also: wildfires, storms, floods and other natural causes, towns and roads, logging, unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Source: Hansen/UMD/Google/USGS/NASA, Global Forest Change (GFC-2025-v1.13); causes: WRI/Google DeepMind drivers of forest loss; both CC BY 4.0, summed by Airleaf for each area. How it's measured
Other departments in Colombia
Clean-air buying guides
Cleaner air at home in La Guajira Department
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