Colombia is the Deadliest Country in the World for Environmental Defenders
The latest report by Global Witness, titled “Collective Power,” states that during 2025, the killing of at least 124 land and environmental defenders was verified worldwide. This is a lower figure than in the previous two years (142 in 2024 and 196 in 2023). Of those 124, 39 victims correspond to Colombia, the report highlights, […]
Colombia ranks as the world's deadliest nation for environmental advocates, according to a recent report by Global Witness. In 2025, 39 individuals lost their lives defending their rights to land and a clean environment, a decrease from the previous year's 48 deaths. The majority of these victims were Indigenous people and peasants, with 35 deaths linked to land conflicts.
The department of Cauca, in southwestern Colombia, is the epicenter of this violence, with 13 killings in 2025, including four Indigenous guards. The report attributes a significant portion of this violence to the growing influence of organized crime, which fuels corruption and impunity. Cauca's strategic location near the Ecuadorian border and its role in cocaine trafficking have led to coca cultivation increasing fivefold over the past decade, driven by armed groups and Mexican cartels.
This, in turn, has degraded Cauca's forests and waterways. The Colombian government is urged to adopt the Comprehensive Public Policy on Guarantees for Human Rights Defense Work, a civil society-led framework aimed at protecting environmental defenders and human rights activists.
Written by urgent.news from Colombia One's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
