Violence against conservationists
Almost 200 environmental activists killed worldwide – aid organisation raises alarm
The widow of an indigenous environmentalist and human rights defender brings flowers to the site where her husband was found murdered
© Giles Clarke / Global Witness / DPA
They give everything for the planet – including their lives. Environmentalists and nature conservationists are persecuted all over the world, and many are killed. The situation is particularly threatening in one country.
According to the non-governmental organization Global Witness, at least 196 Environmentalists were killed. The most dangerous country for environmentalists was Colombia (79 cases), followed by Brazil (25), Mexico (18) and Honduras (18), as the group announced when presenting its annual report. 85 percent of all murders were recorded in Latin America. This brings the number of environmentalists killed since the systematic survey began in 2012 to 2,106.
“As the climate crisis accelerates, those who raise their voices to courageously defend our planet are faced with violence, intimidation and murder,” said report author Laura Furones. “Our data shows that the number of murders remains alarmingly high, a situation that is simply unacceptable.”
Most crimes go unpunished. “Governments cannot stand idly by. They must take decisive action to protect activists and combat the causes of violence against them,” Furones demands. “Activists are indispensable when it comes to preventing and repairing the damage caused by climate-damaging industries.”
Opponents of mining projects live particularly dangerously
According to Global Witness, it is difficult to prove a direct link between the murder of activists and specific economic interests. However, most of the environmental activists killed were against mining projects, followed by fishing, forestry and agriculture, road construction and hydroelectric power plants.
“If the companies that carry out these projects do not take responsibility, the problem cannot be solved,” says Alejandra Gonza, a human rights lawyer working in Mexico. Last year, for example, two activists who were campaigning against the mining of iron ore by the Luxembourg mining company Ternium in the state of Michoacán were kidnapped. The two men have disappeared to this day – their fate is unclear.
By far the most dangerous place for conservationists, however, is Colombia. 79 activists were killed there last year – more than ever before in a single year in a single country. “Many armed groups profit from the exploitation of natural resources,” explains Astrid Torres from the organization Somos Defensores. After decades of armed conflict, numerous criminal gangs are active in the South American country. “There are still strong links between state security forces and paramilitary groups,” says Torres. This means that many acts of violence are not consistently prosecuted.
Indigenous environmental activists in particular in the crosshairs
Indigenous people are significantly overrepresented in violence against environmental activists. Last year, they accounted for 49 percent of murder victims, even though they only make up five percent of the world’s population. “Environmentalists, defenders of land rights and indigenous people are often seen as opponents of progress,” says Bertha Cáceres. Her mother campaigned for the rights of the indigenous Lenca people in Honduras and was shot dead in her home in 2016. “We have to change the perception: progress must not mean the exploitation of natural resources, but the protection of our livelihoods.”
Global Witness called on the governments of the affected countries to ensure the safety of environmental activists, to consistently document attacks on activists and to provide victims with access to justice. “Violence against conservationists will continue as long as it goes unpunished,” the annual report states. For their part, companies must ensure that no human rights violations occur on the fringes of their supply chains.