People protecting nature and land set up self-defence units amid threat of murder
Defenders of forests and rivers killed at rate of one every three days in 2025, with 85% of deaths in Latin America
TL;DR
- 124 nature and land defenders were murdered in 2025, a rate of one every three days.
- Organized crime groups and professional killers were implicated in over a third of these killings.
- Latin America accounted for 85% of the deaths, with Colombia, Brazil, and Honduras being the most affected countries.
- Many communities are forming self-defence units due to increased threats and reduced international support.
- Since 2012, Global Witness has recorded 2,375 deaths and disappearances of defenders.
- Non-lethal attacks, including criminalization and smear campaigns, are also common.
- Cuts to international aid, such as from USAID, have reduced support for Indigenous land stewardship initiatives.
- Almost three-quarters of those killed in 2025 were Indigenous people and small-scale farmers.
- The Kakataibo Indigenous Guard in Peru has grown significantly in volunteers in response to criminal incursions.
- The growing threat of narco-trafficking is pushing gangs into remote regions and indigenous territories, often facilitated by corruption.