Land and Nature Defenders Face Lethal Violence at Rate of One Every Three Days, Report Finds
Quick Brief
Environmental and land defenders faced lethal violence at a rate of one every three days throughout 2025, according to a recent annual report by the watchdog group Global Witness. The rising threat of murder has driven vulnerable communities to establish their own self-defense units. Organized crime networks and professional killers were involved in over a third of these fatal incidents.
What Happened?
According to data from the independent watchdog Global Witness, 124 nature and land defenders were murdered in 2025, equating to a frequency of one killing every three days. Approximately 85% of these fatalities occurred in Latin America. The violence has been fueled by the intersection of narco-trafficking, illegal logging, unauthorized wildcat gold mining, and intrusions into indigenous territories. Consequently, many affected communities have formed self-defense units to protect themselves against these lethal threats.
Why It Matters
The high rate of fatalities among environmental defenders highlights the deadly risks faced by those attempting to protect forests, rivers, and indigenous lands from exploitation and environmental crime. The heavy involvement of organized crime and drug trafficking organizations demonstrates how ecological destruction and criminal enterprises increasingly overlap, leaving vulnerable populations to fend for themselves through self-defense measures.
Key Facts
- A total of 124 nature and land defenders were killed in 2025.
- The death toll equates to a rate of one killing every three days.
- Latin America accounted for 85% of the total deaths recorded last year.
- Organized crime groups or professional killers were implicated in over a third of the killings.
- Threats are driven by overlapping criminal activities such as narco-trafficking, illegal logging, and wildcat gold mining.
Compiled from 2 outlets
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