124 Nature Defenders Killed in 2025 as Organized Crime and Reduced Support Drive Rise in Self-Defense Units
Global Witness reports that 124 nature and land defenders were killed in 2025, with Latin America accounting for 85% of the deaths. While the total number has declined from previous years, communities are increasingly forming self-defense units due to reduced international support and growing threats from organized crime.
According to a report by Global Witness, 124 nature and land defenders were killed globally in 2025. The data indicates that organized crime groups or professional killers were implicated in more than a third of these deaths.
Latin America remained the most dangerous region for defenders, accounting for 85% of the global killings. Colombia recorded the highest number of deaths with 39, followed by Brazil with 26 and Honduras with 12. In Asia, the Philippines was identified as the most dangerous country for defenders, with 12 killings documented in 2025.
The annual number of defender killings has shown a declining trend, dropping from 196 in 2023 and 142 in 2024 to 124 in 2025. However, this figure may be an underestimate. Since 2012, the cumulative global tally of defender deaths and disappearances compiled by Global Witness stands at 2,375. Almost three-quarters of the victims documented in 2025 were Indigenous people and small-scale farmers.
Despite the statistical decline, the security situation for many communities has deteriorated due to reduced international support and expanding narco-trafficking activities. The dismantling of USAID initiatives that supported Indigenous land stewardship has had serious implications for defenders, leaving them more exposed. Additionally, military crackdowns on drug trafficking have pushed gangs further into remote Indigenous territories, where their activities often overlap with environmental crimes such as illegal logging and gold mining.
In response to the lack of state protection and rising violence, communities are increasingly establishing self-defense units. In the Peruvian Amazon, the Kakataibo Indigenous Guard grew from a few dozen recruits in 2022 to more than 150 volunteers across 10 bases. This expansion occurred alongside significant threats; six leaders of the Kakataibo Indigenous Guard have been killed since 2020. Globally, seven Indigenous guards were murdered last year, with at least five of those cases linked to organized crime.
The pressure on these communities is exacerbated by economic shifts in illicit industries. For instance, coca production in the Ucayali basin increased by 600% between 2019 and 2023. Corruption involving local politicians and police continues to increase risks for forest protectors, forcing many to rely on their own armed patrols for survival.