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According to the advocacy group Global Witness, Latin America saw 105 of the 124 documented killings last year, continuing its position as the world’s most dangerous region for environmental defenders since the organization began its annual tracking in 2012. The report brings the cumulative total of killings and disappearances since then to 2,375, with a decline from 146 deaths recorded in 2024 but persistent warnings that many cases go unreported amid repression and conflict. Its assessment found that more than three-quarters of victims were Indigenous people, small-scale farmers or Afro-descendants, underscoring how disputes over natural resources disproportionately endanger these communities.
Global Witness data places Colombia as the deadliest country for the fourth consecutive year, with 39 defenders killed including nearly half who were Indigenous and 15 identified as small-scale farmers. The organization linked 35 of those deaths to land conflicts, while suspecting organized crime in 17 cases and contract killers in another five. A significant concentration occurred in the Cauca department, where 13 killings took place in 2025, contributing to a departmental total of 171 such deaths since 2012.
In Brazil the number of killings more than doubled to 26 from the prior year, according to the same Global Witness report, with 11 victims classified as small-scale farmers and seven as Indigenous. The majority stemmed from long-running disputes over ancestral land claims and agrarian reform, half of them in the Amazonian states of Rondonia and Para where illegal logging, mining and cattle ranching have intensified tensions. This surge highlights how agricultural and extractive frontiers continue to drive lethal violence against those protecting local ecosystems.
The Global Witness assessment found that land disputes triggered 84 of the 124 killings worldwide, representing more than half the total and often overlapping with activities such as illegal mining or coca cultivation for narcotics. Organized crime groups or professional hitmen were implicated in over a third of cases, reflecting a deepening intersection between criminal networks and environmental exploitation across affected regions. These patterns extend beyond Latin America, with the Philippines and Honduras each recording 12 deaths and Mexico seeing 10, many tied to similar resource conflicts.
Communities facing repeated threats have increasingly formed self-defense units to safeguard their territories, a development noted in coverage of the Global Witness findings that points to growing desperation in remote areas with limited state presence. Kakataibo Indigenous Guard commander Segundo Ispán said, “for this next generation coming up, the work is more dangerous than ever.” Similar patrols operate in parts of Colombia and Brazil, though the report indicates seven Indigenous guards were killed in 2025 with several cases linked to organized crime.
Global Witness emphasized that the murders form only the most visible part of broader retaliation against defenders, who also encounter criminalization, intimidation and smear campaigns that deter their work. The organization called for stronger protections and accountability, noting that impunity remains high as those ordering attacks rarely face justice. Its figures, cross-referenced from multiple sources over the course of a year, aim to highlight the need for governments and international bodies to address the underlying drivers of this violence.
