Colombia · Norte de Santander Department · 2 cities
Air quality in Norte de Santander Department today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now, Cúcuta has the cleanest air of the 2 cities we track in Norte de Santander Department (AQI 52, Moderate), and Ocaña the worst (AQI 52, Moderate). Ocaña has the most tree cover, at 35.8% — #10 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
- 26.6%
- Colombia: 24.8%
- worst air now: Ocaña
- 52
- cleanest air now: Cúcuta
- 52
Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf, refreshed hourly.
Norte de Santander Department
Air quality today across Norte de Santander Department, city by city
| Cúcuta | 52Moderate | 17.4% | 39.6K | #36 of 48 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ocaña | 52Moderate | 35.8% | — | #10 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 Norte de Santander Department lost?
Since 2001, Norte de Santander Department has lost about 253,000 hectares of forest (about 2,500 km²): 15% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (96%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 253,000 haabout 2,500 km²
- Share of its forest
- 15%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 243,000 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 | 10,500 ha | 274 ha | 10,800 ha |
| 2002 | 4,790 ha | 128 ha | 4,920 ha |
| 2003 | 3,980 ha | 63 ha | 4,040 ha |
| 2004 | 6,120 ha | 245 ha | 6,370 ha |
| 2005 | 4,350 ha | 140 ha | 4,490 ha |
| 2006 | 4,230 ha | 89 ha | 4,320 ha |
| 2007 | 6,940 ha | 252 ha | 7,190 ha |
| 2008 | 6,820 ha | 112 ha | 6,930 ha |
| 2009 | 10,200 ha | 178 ha | 10,400 ha |
| 2010 | 9,470 ha | 207 ha | 9,680 ha |
| 2011 | 5,600 ha | 148 ha | 5,750 ha |
| 2012 | 13,300 ha | 386 ha | 13,700 ha |
| 2013 | 5,860 ha | 148 ha | 6,010 ha |
| 2014 | 11,600 ha | 258 ha | 11,900 ha |
| 2015 | 9,070 ha | 127 ha | 9,200 ha |
| 2016 | 17,200 ha | 5,740 ha | 23,000 ha |
| 2017 | 16,400 ha | 366 ha | 16,800 ha |
| 2018 | 16,000 ha | 115 ha | 16,200 ha |
| 2019 | 15,500 ha | 118 ha | 15,700 ha |
| 2020 | 14,900 ha | 130 ha | 15,000 ha |
| 2021 | 17,600 ha | 151 ha | 17,800 ha |
| 2022 | 11,000 ha | 234 ha | 11,200 ha |
| 2023 | 8,110 ha | 130 ha | 8,240 ha |
| 2024 | 6,570 ha | 106 ha | 6,670 ha |
| 2025 | 7,120 ha | 163 ha | 7,280 ha |
Forest loss is slowing down: about 10,200 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 17,300 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2016, when about 23,000 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Norte de Santander Department?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good96% · 242,000 ha
- Wildfirescan grow back2.6% · 6,470 ha
Also: storms, floods and other natural causes, shifting farming, towns and roads, logging, mining and energy, 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 Norte de Santander Department
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