Latin America responsible for 85% of global environmental defender deaths in 2025

According to Global Witness, at least 124 land and environmental defenders lost their lives in 2025, and 85% of those deaths occurred in Latin America. The region saw 105 killings, dominated by Colombia (39) and Brazil (26), while Honduras and the Philippines each recorded 12. The majority of the victims were Indigenous people, small-scale farmers or Afro-descendants, with land disputes implicated in 84 cases.

Organized crime and contract hitmen were suspected in over a third of the murders, highlighting a growing overlap between criminal activity and resource exploitation. Although the global total declined for the second consecutive year, the organization cautions that many killings go unrecorded. The report also notes a sharp rise in Brazil’s fatalities, more than double the previous year, amid ongoing battles over ancestral lands and illegal logging.