Coca.Crunch Anastasia MoloneyA Colombian moth that feeds exclusively on coca leaves might eliminate the need forherbicides in the war on drugs.

THE INSATIABLE appetite of acaterpillar native to Centraland South America may helpto destroy Colombia's cocaplant - the raw ingredient for cocaine.

"There are around 250 species ofpests known to destroy coca and poppycrops. But what's really special about theEloria noyesi is that the caterpillar feedsexclusively on coca leaves," said AlbertoGomez, president of the ColombianNational Network of Botanical Gardens,a non-governmental organization.

The nocturnal Eloria noyesi moths,known by local farmers as the grtnga, laytheir eggs only on coca plants. The cater-pillars can devour an estimated 55 cocaleaves per day.

Gomez plans to breed the moths andrelease them en masse near coca cultiva-tions, initially across Colombia's coca-plagued naUirc reserves. If successful,the pilot project will be introduced toother coca-growing regions, locatedmainly in the south of the country andin the Sierra Nevada mountain range innorthern Colombia.

The idea of using natural biologicalcontrols to eradicate coca cultivations inColombia is not new. In the 1970s, theUS government considered using fungi

to destroy coca crops. Both the USgovernment and the UN proposedintroducing a fungus called Fusariiimoxysporum to destroy marijuana andcoca fields across Colombia. But theColombian Ministry of the Environ-ment rejected the proposals because ofconcerns ahout possible harm to theAmazon's delicate ecosystem and humanhealth.

The proposal to use the moth to erad-icate coca cultivations first appeared inthe late 1980s after documented casesreported that the caterpillar was respon-sible for destroying coca cultivations inPeru, Bolivia and Putumayo in southern(".olombia. A decade later, followingresearch conducted at the NationalUniversity in Bogota, a proposal to usethe Eloria noyesi as a weapon againstcoca production was presented to theC'olombian government but was rejectedbecause of the lack of lepidopteran(moth and butterfly) farms.

However, Gomez and bis supportershave persisted. In May 2005, the Colom-bian National Network of BotanicalGardens presented the idea again to theMinistry of Interior and Justice, whichoversees anti-drugs policy.

"We are still in the initial stages of

talks with the government," said Gomez. %_"But so far there have been some posi- %tive and encouraging signs." ^

Further research still needs to becarried out to see whether the Elorianoyesi caterpillar feeds on all six speciesof coca plants used in Colombia forcocaine production.

"At the moment we are certain thatthe caterpillar feeds on one of the sixspecies of coca plants," says GonzaloAndrade, a biologist at the NationalUniversity's Institute of Natural Sciencesand promoter of the project. "But whatwe need to know now, is whether it canattack all the species of coca plantsused."

Scientists will have to receive specialpermission from the government togrow coca plants for scientific researchpurposes so that the Eloria noyesi can bebred and observed in captivity.

"We will need a secure area protectedby the military to grow coca and carryout further research," said Gomez.

Since 2000, government attempts toeradicate coca cultivations have focusedon US-sponsored crop-sprayingprograms using the controversial herbi-cide glyphosate.

Gomez and his colleagues do not

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doubt the harmful effects of glyphosateon the environment and human health."Apart from causing environmentaldamage, fumigation is counter-produc-tive," said Gomez. "It's a waste of money.Colombia is still the world's biggestproducer of cocaine."

He added that after coca growingareas are fumigated, farmers still haveftve days in which to pick coca leavesthat can be used and converted intococaine paste. Coca farmers are alsoplanting new coca cultivations in moreremote areas to avoid the toxic spray ofduster planes, particularly in the south-ern province of Narino.

Crop spraying has not delivered theresults the US and Colombian govern-ments had hoped for. According to theColombian anti narcotics police,781,181 hectares of coca were destroyedbetween 1994 and 2004. But despite arecord crop-spraying offensive in 2004,the total number of hectares under culti-vation that year was still higher thanfigures reported in 2003,

Gomez said, "Recent crop-sprayingfigures show that the government reallyneeds an alternative method and In thisrespect the tnoth may provide part ofthe answer."

The issue of crop spraying withglyosphate has also caused tensions

between Colombia and its Andeanneighbour, Ecuador. The Ecuadoriangovernment has repeatedly askedColombia to suspend fumigationprograms along their borders untilfurther research has been carried out onthe long term effects of glyphosate onthe environment and local populations.

The need to promote the beige-coloured moth as an environmentallyfriendly alternative to crop spraying isnow even more urgent since the govern-ment decided last July to renew fumiga-tion across 17 of Colombia's 51 nationalparks where coca is found.

"It's not the first time our nationalparks have heen fumigated," saidGomez. "If Colombia is to protect itsrich national heritage of flora and fauna,it's crucial to encourage debate andpresent other ways to eradicate illegalcrops to the government."

According to Gomez, the most envi-ronmentally friendly and effective wayto destroy coca cultivations is by manualeradication, as this method gets rid ofthe coca plant's roots. Despite recentgovernment attempts to increase thenumber of manual eradicationprograms, only around 15 percent ofcoca fields are destroyed manually.

"We are proposing to promotemanual eradication programs and

National Parks

Pulumayo Provini

Alberto Gomez plans to breed and releusc Eloria noyesi moths on masse across Colombia'scoca-plagued nature racrves. Ij successful, the pilot project wilt be introduced to coca-growingregions in Colomhia, partieutarly Piitiitiiayo Province in ihe foiith.

complement this method with the Elorianoyesi moth, which is particularly usefulin attacking coca plants in remote areas,"added Gomez.

But Gomez and his colleagues believethat the real problem surrounding illegalcrop cultivation is poverty. Roughly 55percent of Colombians live below thepoverty line, driving thousands of poorfarmers to grow the lucrative coca plant.Coca farmers can earn at least $550 (US)a month, roughly double the monthlyminimum wage.

"The best way to stop coca-growing isto create alternative economic develop-ment, promote crop substitutionprograms and provide greater security inrural areas so that destitute farmers arenot forced to grow coca to survive," saidGomez.

Local environmental groups, includ-ing the Colombian Andean Actiongroup, have also voiced fheir concernsabout the dangers of using biologicalagents. Andean Action says releasingthousands of moths could cause envi-ronmental havoc and is an opportunityfor "biological mischief."

Political pressure from Ecuador,growing concerns about the health andenvironment risks from glyphosate andthe failure of crop-spraying programs toseriously dent coca production inColombia may be enough this timearound to persuade the Colombiangovernment to use the Eloria noyesimoth as another arm in the fight againstcocaine production.

Gome/ hopes that his childhoodfascination with lepidopterans andpassion for conservation may sooninfluence government policy.

"I'm hopeful that the governmentwill approve the project," added Gomez."And if it doesn't, we have still managed togive much needed attention to the issueof protecting the environment and pre-serving Colombia's rich biodiversity." V

Anastasia Moloney is a British freelancejournalist living in Bogota, Colombia,since 2002.

See the website of the Washington Office onLatin America, an NGO think-tank thatmonitors US foreign policy and offers criticaland up-to-date analysis of US drug policy inthe Andean region: www.wola.org

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