Colombia and Brazil Rank as World's Deadliest Nations for Environmental Defenders in New Global Report

Latin America has once again been confirmed as the most dangerous region on Earth for individuals defending natural habitats and community territories, with Colombia and Brazil recording the highest casualty counts worldwide. According to the latest annual findings published by the international campaign group Global Witness, community leaders, conservationists, and agricultural workers face lethal risks while attempting to safeguard their lands against exploitation and criminal encroachment.

Colombia has claimed the grim distinction of topping the global list for the fourth consecutive year. In 2025, at least 39 environmental and land defenders were murdered across the South American country. The report underscores that defending natural resources within Colombia’s borders continues to carry an extraordinarily high price, cementing the nation’s status as the epicentre of violence against conservation advocates.

Neighbouring Brazil emerged as the second most lethal nation for activists during the same period, recording 26 documented homicides. Researchers highlighted an alarming upward trajectory in Brazil, where the number of verified killings doubled compared to the tallies recorded in 2024. As in Colombia, the vast majority of lethal attacks documented in Brazil were fueled by fierce and ongoing conflicts surrounding land ownership and territory.

The broader regional figures illustrate a deeply entrenched pattern of violence across Latin America. Global Witness reported that an overwhelming 85 percent of all documented murders of land and environmental defenders worldwide took place within the region. Since the non-governmental organisation initiated its systematic global tracking and annual reporting in 2012, Latin America has consistently ranked as the deadliest geographic zone on the planet every single year.

The primary catalyst behind these deadly encounters remains disputes over land rights. Across the documented territories, local communities and grassroots defenders routinely find themselves standing in the path of commercial interests and territorial expansion. When peaceful resistance or community boundaries challenge these operations, disputes frequently escalate into fatal confrontations.

According to the report, the perpetrators executing these lethal attacks are frequently contract killers or individuals linked to organised crime syndicates. These armed groups operate with lethal precision, deploying targeted violence to eliminate prominent community figures who actively oppose the takeover of their ancestral properties or campaign against destructive exploitation.

In Colombia specifically, the human toll has fallen disproportionately upon marginalised populations who live closest to the land. The Global Witness analysis revealed that nearly half of all individuals murdered in the country were members of indigenous communities. A substantial portion of the remaining victims were small-scale farmers whose livelihoods and survival depend directly on their local agricultural plots.

To protect their ancestral homelands from encroaching danger, many Colombian indigenous groups have established their own community-based security structures known as indigenous guards. These volunteer units carry out regular patrols across communal territories to maintain order and safeguard community sovereignty. Crucially, these guard members carry out their protection duties completely unarmed, relying solely on communal authority and collective presence.

This absence of weaponry leaves indigenous guards highly exposed to heavily armed illegal syndicates operating in rural regions. Criminal factions routinely target guard members as they seek to violently expand their territorial reach. These illegal armed networks are primarily motivated by the desire to clear land for illicit mining operations or to cultivate coca, the plant that serves as the essential raw ingredient for cocaine production.

The severe danger confronting these unarmed defenders was starkly demonstrated in Colombia's Cauca region. Jacob Guachetá Zambrano, an active member of the local indigenous guard, was recently discovered tortured and murdered. His death represents another tragic incident in the escalating cycle of violence directed against those working to shield their communities from criminal incursions.

Although official authorities continue to investigate the specific motives and search for the perpetrators responsible for Guachetá Zambrano's killing, local indigenous leaders report that such atrocities are part of an ongoing territorial crisis. Community leaders in Cauca emphasise that targeted murders, intimidation, death threats, and forced disappearances have become routine occurrences as rival illegal armed factions wage fierce battles for control of the area.

The pattern of lethal retaliation against grassroots campaigners extends throughout Latin America, as evidenced by high-profile killings across the continent in recent years. In Honduras, prominent anti-mining campaigner Juan López was fatally shot in 2024 after speaking out against industrial projects, illustrating the widespread perils facing environmental activists who confront powerful extractive interests.

Beyond the borders of Latin America, violence against environmental defenders remains a critical international problem, particularly in Asia. The Asian continent accounted for approximately 12 percent of the fatal attacks documented globally. The Philippines registered the highest death toll within the region, with researchers verifying 12 separate killings of environmental defenders over the course of the year.

On a global scale, the overall count of documented murders saw a modest numerical decrease, declining from 146 verified killings in 2024 to 128 in 2025, with at least 124 confirmed defender fatalities identified in the latest research. However, Global Witness cautioned against interpreting this statistical reduction as an indicator of safer conditions on the ground for environmental advocates.

The campaign group issued a clear warning that the recorded figures almost certainly represent an underestimate of the true scale of lethal violence. Widespread underreporting, coupled with the severe isolation of many rural conflict zones and pervasive fear of retaliation among witnesses, means numerous killings and disappearances never reach official tallies or international observers.

The continued bloodshed underscores the severe perils endured by grassroots defenders who stand on the front lines of ecological and territorial preservation. Without effective protection mechanisms and accountability for armed groups and organized crime syndicates, defenders in Colombia, Brazil, and across the globe will continue to face deadly consequences simply for protecting their lands.