Latin America worst region for environment defenders — NGO
Zac Crellin
Zac Crellin
DW
13/09/2023
More land defenders were murdered in Colombia than any other country in the past 12 months. The Amazon also saw a large number of lethal attacks, particularly against Indigenous people.
Indigenous people have been murdered in the Amazon as illegal mining encroaches on their land
More land defenders were murdered in Colombia than any other country in the past 12 months. The Amazon also saw a large number of lethal attacks, particularly against Indigenous people.
Indigenous people have been murdered in the Amazon as illegal mining encroaches on their landALAN CHAVES/AFP via Getty Images
Latin America is the most dangerous region in the world for environmental defenders, according to a new report released by the Global Witness NGO on Wednesday.
The environmental crime watchdog said at least 177 land defenders were killed worldwide last year. One in five of them were murdered in the Amazon rainforest.
The countries where the most environmental defenders were killed were Colombia, Brazil, Mexico and Honduras.
Very few perpetrators are brought to justice, which has created a climate of impunity.
"For too long, those responsible for lethal attacks against defenders have been getting away with murder," said Shruti Suresh from Global Witness.
Murders increase in Colombia
Colombia was found to be the deadliest country on the list with 60 land defenders murdered in the past year — accounting for a third of such killings worldwide.
"Once again, Indigenous peoples, Afro-descendant communities, small-scale farmers and environmental activists have been viciously targeted," the report read.
Since coming to power in August last year, leftist President Gustavo Petro pledged to put an end to such violence.
His government signed on to the Escazu agreement in October 2022 which includes protections for environmentalists.
But despite this, the number of murdered land defenders in Colombia is almost double the figure reported in 2021.
At least 382 defenders have been killed in the country since Global Witness began documenting deaths in 2012. Colombia is also the country with the highest number of reported killings globally over this period.
Dozens of killings last year also occurred in Brazil and Mexico, with 14 land defenders also having been murdered in Honduras in 2022.
Indigenous groups under attack
The report is a reminder that Indigenous communities are disproportionately targeted by lethal attacks, often related to illegal mining, logging and fishing encroaching on their land.
Around 34% of murdered land defenders last year were Indigenous, despite making up around 5% of the world's population.
"Research has shown again and again that Indigenous peoples are the best guardians of the forests and therefore play a fundamental role in mitigating the climate crisis," said Laura Furones, a researcher on land defenders at Global Witness.
"Yet they are under siege in countries like Brazil, Peru and Venezuela for doing precisely that. We hear of new attacks every day, and our report highlights some of those stories."
The murder of Indigenous peoples expert Bruno Pereira and British journalist Dom Phillips in the Amazon last year brought global attention to the threat faced by rainforest communities every day.
A worldwide problem
Outside of Latin America, the Philippines was the most dangerous country for environmental defenders after 11 people were reported murdered in the last year.
Other countries where environmental defenders have been killed recently include India, Indonesia, South Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Global Witness said many murders go unreported, often due to a lack of independent monitoring in many countries and restrictions on press freedom.
The NGO said it therefore cannot capture the full scale of the problem, while governments around the world also fail to investigate these incidents.
Edited by: Wesley Dockery
Latin America is the most dangerous region in the world for environmental defenders, according to a new report released by the Global Witness NGO on Wednesday.
The environmental crime watchdog said at least 177 land defenders were killed worldwide last year. One in five of them were murdered in the Amazon rainforest.
The countries where the most environmental defenders were killed were Colombia, Brazil, Mexico and Honduras.
Very few perpetrators are brought to justice, which has created a climate of impunity.
"For too long, those responsible for lethal attacks against defenders have been getting away with murder," said Shruti Suresh from Global Witness.
Murders increase in Colombia
Colombia was found to be the deadliest country on the list with 60 land defenders murdered in the past year — accounting for a third of such killings worldwide.
"Once again, Indigenous peoples, Afro-descendant communities, small-scale farmers and environmental activists have been viciously targeted," the report read.
Since coming to power in August last year, leftist President Gustavo Petro pledged to put an end to such violence.
His government signed on to the Escazu agreement in October 2022 which includes protections for environmentalists.
But despite this, the number of murdered land defenders in Colombia is almost double the figure reported in 2021.
At least 382 defenders have been killed in the country since Global Witness began documenting deaths in 2012. Colombia is also the country with the highest number of reported killings globally over this period.
Dozens of killings last year also occurred in Brazil and Mexico, with 14 land defenders also having been murdered in Honduras in 2022.
Indigenous groups under attack
The report is a reminder that Indigenous communities are disproportionately targeted by lethal attacks, often related to illegal mining, logging and fishing encroaching on their land.
Around 34% of murdered land defenders last year were Indigenous, despite making up around 5% of the world's population.
"Research has shown again and again that Indigenous peoples are the best guardians of the forests and therefore play a fundamental role in mitigating the climate crisis," said Laura Furones, a researcher on land defenders at Global Witness.
"Yet they are under siege in countries like Brazil, Peru and Venezuela for doing precisely that. We hear of new attacks every day, and our report highlights some of those stories."
The murder of Indigenous peoples expert Bruno Pereira and British journalist Dom Phillips in the Amazon last year brought global attention to the threat faced by rainforest communities every day.
Indigenous land defenders demanded justice for Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips, who were murdered in the Amazon last year
Andre Penner/AP Photo/picture alliance
A worldwide problem
Outside of Latin America, the Philippines was the most dangerous country for environmental defenders after 11 people were reported murdered in the last year.
Other countries where environmental defenders have been killed recently include India, Indonesia, South Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Global Witness said many murders go unreported, often due to a lack of independent monitoring in many countries and restrictions on press freedom.
The NGO said it therefore cannot capture the full scale of the problem, while governments around the world also fail to investigate these incidents.
Edited by: Wesley Dockery
Environmental activist murders doubled in Colombia last year, making it the most dangerous country in the world for those trying to protect the planet, a watchdog said Tuesday.
Nadia Umana, a Colombian environmental leader threatened by criminal gangs, speaks during an interview with AFP in Bogota on August 30, 2023.
© Raul Arboleda, AFP
By:NEWS WIRES
In its annual review, Global Witness named 177 land and environmental defenders who had been killed in 2022 -- from the Amazon to the Philippines and Democratic Republic of Congo.
Latin America again bore the brunt of the murders, including 39 killings across the vast Amazon rainforest, a vital carbon sink facing widespread destruction at a time the world is grappling to curb climate change.
The number of those killed has progressively decreased since a record 227 in 2020, however "this does not mean that the situation has significantly improved," said Global Witness.
"The worsening climate crisis and the ever-increasing demand for agricultural commodities, fuel and minerals will only intensify the pressure on the environment -– and those who risk their lives to defend it," warned the London-based watchdog.
While in 2021 most killings took place in Mexico, Colombia last year surged ahead with 60 deaths -- more than a third of all the murders globally.
"This is almost double the number of killings compared to 2021, when 33 defenders lost their lives," said the report.
Many of those targeted were Indigenous people, members of Afro-descendant communities, small-scale farmers and environmental activists.
At least five children, three of them Indigenous, were among the global tally.
"Yet there is hope," said the NGO, praising efforts under new leftist President Gustavo Petro to boost protection for defenders -- a first in the country.
Colombian sociologist and activist Nadia Umana, 35, fled her northern home after the murders of four colleagues, all of whom had been fighting for the return of rural lands taken over by paramilitaries.
"Knowing that a colleague of yours was murdered is an indescribable pain," Umana told AFP in Bogota.
Even the country's vice-president, Francia Marquez -- the 2018 winner of the prestigious Goldman environmental prize -- has faced multiple threats.
In 2019, she survived an attack by gunmen who tried to kill her over her work defending her home region's water resources against mining companies.
Mining, logging, farming
According to Global Witness, almost 2,000 land and environmental defenders have been murdered over the past decade -- some 70 percent of them in Latin America.
In Brazil, where British journalist Dom Philips and Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira were killed last year in the Amazon, a total of 34 land defenders were killed.
Mexico, Honduras, and the Philippines also had high numbers.
Global Witness said that while it was "difficult to identify" the exact drivers for the killings, 10 were found to be linked to agribusiness, eight to mining, and four to the logging industry.
Aside from activists, state officials, demonstrators, park rangers, lawyers, and journalists are also among those who lost their lives.
"All of them shared a commitment to defend their rights and keep the planet healthy. All of them paid for their courage and commitment with their lives," said the report.
Issued on: 13/09/2023
(AFP)
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