Colombia and Brazil deadliest countries for environmental activists, report says

Recent reporting across international news outlets highlights a troubling global crisis regarding land and environmental defenders. According to coverage from outlets such as BBC News, AP News, The Guardian, Global Witness, Inside Climate News, Common Dreams, Geographical, and modernghana.com, a newly released report details the violent reality faced by those protecting nature and territory. Specifically, Colombia and Brazil are identified as the deadliest countries for environmental activists. The documented violence spans multiple regions, extending from Peru to the Philippines, demonstrating that defending the land comes at a consistently deadly cost. Coverage emphasizes the sheer scale of the fatalities recorded during the year 2025. According to reports from Geographical, Common Dreams, and AP News, at least 124 land and environmental defenders were killed globally throughout the year 2025.

Inside Climate News notes that this rate translates to an environmental defender being murdered approximately every three days. Furthermore, AP News highlights that Latin America alone accounted for eighty-five percent of these total environmental defender killings in 2025. Additional reports from The Guardian and Global Witness detail how individuals protecting nature and land have been forced to establish self-defense units amid the persistent threat of murder, focusing heavily on the struggle for collective power and protection. Context provided within the coverage connects these fatalities to broader geopolitical and environmental pressures. Common Dreams specifically points to what it describes as Trump-driven lawlessness and aid cuts as factors intersecting with the violence faced by land defenders in 2025. The broader body of coverage frames these killings not as isolated incidents, but as part of a sustained, high-risk global struggle where indigenous populations, local communities, and grassroots activists attempt to safeguard ecosystems from industrial, political, and illicit exploitation.

Outlets like modernghana.com underscore that this danger is truly international, affecting defenders across widely separated geographical zones from South America to Southeast Asia. As the findings of this report circulate, ongoing coverage points toward several key elements to watch moving forward. Readers and analysts are left tracking whether affected nations, particularly Colombia and Brazil, will implement new measures to protect activists following these disclosures. Coverage does not yet specify exact policy responses from governments in Latin America or Asia, nor does it detail official judicial outcomes for the perpetrators of these 124 killings. Future reporting will likely monitor the efficacy of the newly formed self-defense units documented by The Guardian and whether international organizations or advocacy groups can leverage the Global Witness report to secure better protections for land defenders worldwide.