The Colombian Amazon is one of the least deforested. It is a surprising fact, because it is usually believed there is a virtuous relationship between peace, development and environmental protection (see, for example, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development). Such a discourse tends to conceive the state as a problem-solving device and environmental issues as statehood problems (e.g., corruption, violence, poverty). But, why does Colombia have one of the least deforested rainforests despite its problems? I suggest that the Colombian Amazon has precisely been less deforested due to the limitations of the state to control its territory and the dynamics of violence. In particular, the paper proposes that in order to understand Amazon deforestation in Colombia it is necessary to study the territorial reach of the state, including the role of violence. Violence is a particular type of social contention, which has deep consequences on the fate of the forest. The paper is based on preliminary field research in Caquetá, perhaps the most deforested Amazon providence in Colombia.