Land and Environmental Defenders

Hundreds of land and environmental defenders are threatened, arrested and killed every year for their part in resisting environmental devastation. We record every name and honour their activism.

Defenders and Indigenous Peoples are often our planet’s last line of defence, sounding the alarm about threats to vital ecosystems and incursions upon their communities from destructive companies. In return, they face land invasions, harassment and violence, with a worrying rise in criminalisation hitting environmental activists worldwide. We work to expose the root causes behind these attacks to ensure defenders are protected, and that those responsible are held to account.

Land and Environmental Defenders

Latest

Why Indigenous voices must be central to negotiations at COP28

Statement on the killing of renowned anti-mining activist and Indigenous environmental defender in Mexico

The Saweto trials cannot lead to another missed opportunity for justice in the murder of four Peruvian Indigenous leaders

New York Climate Week and the road to COP28 – 5 takeaways

New York Climate Week and the road to COP28 – 5 takeaways

Two Filipino environmental advocates violently abducted after opposing controversial airport project

Standing firm

Almost 2,000 land and environmental defenders killed between 2012 and 2022 for protecting the planet

Joint statement on suspension of reclamation projects in Manila Bay, Philippines

Amazon Summit must put environmental defenders at the heart of commitments, as leaders convene in Brazil

Global Witness strongly condemns the criminalisation of four land and environmental activists as ‘terrorists’ in the Philippines

Seven years after the murder of Gloria Capitan our struggle has grown into a climate movement

Arrest of fifth climate defender undermines Vietnam's 'just transition'

Scarred for life

French giant Veolia accused of buying “toxic” Colombian landfill, failed to address the risks faced by environmental defenders

Five years on from India’s Thoothukudi massacre, families and activists demand justice

Attacks against UDEFEGUA: Defenders in Guatemala are under siege to claim democracy back

Hopes and fears for forests in a divided Brazil

Defending the defenders: why Brazil must prioritize ratification of the Escazú Agreement

Open Letter to the Brazilian Minister of Foreign Affairs on Escazú Agreement

Delikado: the film exposing the criminality lurking behind Palawan in the Philippines

Remembering Berta Cáceres: Seven years on, the fight for justice continues

A historic sentence in Peru brings hope for land and environmental defenders

Fundo Casa: Highlighting the importance of Afro-Brazilian Quilombola representation at Climate COPs

Global Witness welcomes long-awaited court verdict providing justice for the murders of Indigenous land defenders in the Peruvian Amazon

Dutch construction companies will profit from Philippines mega-airport which is devastating local communities and environment

Runaway Risk

Runaway Risk: How the EU can prevent corporate abuse

International NGOs Call for Release of Prominent Environmental Defender in Vietnam One Year After 5-Year Prison Sentence

Making good on promises: How Mexico can transform the lives of environmental defenders by implementing the Escazú Agreement

Berta Cáceres: New rules for banks could help stop defender killings

Vietnam lands Just Energy Transition Partnership