Nearly 200 Land and Environmental Defenders Killed in 2023, Mostly in Latin America, Global Witness Report Reveals

196 defenders were murdered in 2023 while exercising their right to protect their lands and the environment, a new report has revealed, adding that the number of casualties is likely much higher.

This brings the total number of killings to 2,106 since Global Witness began reporting data in 2012, the environmental watchdog group said in its latest report published Tuesday.

Environmental defenders play a crucial role in protecting the environment and defending key forests, habitats and ecosystems. Indigenous people alone steward around 20% of the Earth’s land, which contains 80% of the world’s remaining biodiversity. Of all defenders murdered last year, 43% were Indigenous people and 12% were women.

“Every killing leaves the world more vulnerable to the climate, biodiversity and pollution crises,” the report read. It added that these murders are just one piece of a wider puzzle of abuses and attacks by governments, businesses, and other non-state actors against environmental defenders, including intimidation, violence, smear campaigns and criminalization.