From the Guardian · · 2m
Forest defenders form militias as murder rate soars
One land protector killed every three days in 2025 as organized crime pushes deeper into indigenous territories.
In brief
One land protector killed every three days in 2025 as organized crime pushes deeper into indigenous territories. Indigenous communities are forming self-defense units to protect their land as narco-trafficking gangs move into forests and governments offer less support. Originally reported by the Guardian.
One defender killed every three days
124 land and nature defenders were murdered in 2025. Organized crime groups or professional killers were behind more than a third of the deaths.
Latin America accounts for most deaths
85% of killings happened in Latin America. Colombia had 39 deaths, Brazil 26, and Honduras 12.
2,375 dead since 2012
Global Witness has documented deaths and disappearances on par with a small-scale war since it began tracking in 2012.
Trump cuts leave defenders exposed
The dismantling of USAID removed support for indigenous land stewardship programs. Communities now face organized crime with less international help.
“The dismantling of USAID, which previously supported initiatives for Indigenous peoples to steward their own land, has had particularly serious implications”
Communities form their own guards
The Kakataibo Indigenous Guard in Peru grew from a few dozen recruits in 2022 to over 150 volunteers across 10 bases after six leaders were killed since 2020.
“Defending our territory is important to us as a community and as a people, and we're proud to support the climate that we all depend on.”
Self-defense units face deadly risk
At least a dozen Peruvian communities have organized defense units. Seven indigenous guards were murdered last year, at least five linked to organized crime.
Masked gunmen raid Asháninka homes
In July, armed men entered Asháninka homes on the Brazil-Peru border, apparently searching for assassination targets. Leaders petitioned the government for help.
Coca production drives gang expansion
A 600% increase in coca production in Peru's Ucayali basin between 2019 and 2023 is pushing gangs to open illegal roads through forests and indigenous lands.
Military crackdowns push gangs deeper
Rightwing governments are pursuing military operations against drug traffickers. This is forcing narco-gangs further into remote indigenous territories.
Defenders are the world's eyes
Global Witness urges governments to work with defenders, not against them. They're the ones who alert us when ecosystems are being destroyed.
“Defenders are the world's eyes and ears on the ground. It's thanks to them that we know when ecosystems are being destroyed”
The main idea
Indigenous communities are forming self-defense units to protect their land as narco-trafficking gangs move into forests and governments offer less support.
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