"Latin America worst region for environment defenders", 13 September 2023

...Latin America is the most dangerous region in the world for environmental defenders, according to a new report released by the Global Witness NGO on Wednesday.

The environmental crime watchdog said at least 177 land defenders were killed worldwide last year. One in five of them were murdered in the Amazon rainforest.

The countries where the most environmental defenders were killed were Colombia, Brazil, Mexico and Honduras...

Colombia was found to be the deadliest country on the list with 60 land defenders murdered in the past year — accounting for a third of such killings worldwide.

The report is a reminder that Indigenous communities are disproportionately targeted by lethal attacks, often related to illegal mining, logging and fishing encroaching on their land. Around 34% of murdered land defenders last year were Indigenous, despite making up around 5% of the world's population...