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, dedicated to the people, communities and organizations that bravely raise their voices or take action to defend their rights to territory and to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.
On the unfortunate list are Brazil, with 26 leaders murdered, the Philippines (12), Honduras (12), Mexico (10), Guatemala (8), Ecuador (3), Nicaragua 83), United Republic of Tanzania (2), France (1), India (1), Indonesia (1), Democratic Republic of the Congo (1), and Turkey (1).
Epicenter of that violence is the department of Cauca
Violence against defenders in Latin America, which accounts for the highest number of deaths, is aggravated by the growing power of organized crime, which generates a climate of corruption and impunity throughout the region, the report says, adding that they identified cases with alleged links to organized crime in the six countries where the highest number of killings were recorded: Colombia, Brazil, the Philippines, Honduras, Mexico and Guatemala, five of which are in Latin America.
Specifically regarding Colombia, the report explains that with just under one third of the deadly attacks documented worldwide in 2025, the South American country remains one of the most dangerous countries for those defending the planet. “We were able to confirm 39 killings of defenders in 2025, representing a decrease from the 48 recorded the previous year,” it says.
“Our data show clear trends both regarding the groups of defenders who were targeted and the people responsible for them,” the report continues. “Nearly half of those killed were Indigenous people, and another 15 were peasants. Reflecting this, 35 of the 39 deaths were related to land conflicts.”
Global Witness says it was able to link 17 of the deaths allegedly to organized crime, and another 5 to hired assassins.
In any case, the epicenter of that violence is the department of Cauca, in southwestern Colombia, where they recorded 13 killings in 2025, including those of four Indigenous guards. With this, the total number of cases recorded in Cauca since 2012 rises to 171, the highest figure of all the departments.
Due to its strategic location near the border with Ecuador and its access to export routes toward the Pacific, Cauca has become a key corridor in cocaine trafficking, the report explains. Coca cultivation quintupled over the last decade, amid the growing influence of both Colombian armed groups and Mexican cartels.
These actors, along with other illicit economic activities, such as illegal mining, are causing the degradation of Cauca’s forests and waterways.
“Many other names are missing”
Other biodiversity-rich areas are facing similar pressures, such as Nariño and Putumayo, southern departments where we documented three killings in each. Illegal mining and coca cultivation are key factors driving violence and environmental degradation in both departments, as they provide funding to armed groups, cause the displacement of communities and pollute rivers and waterways.
As part of its efforts to combat this violence, the Colombian Government should sign and implement the Comprehensive Public Policy on Guarantees for Human Rights Defense Work, a framework promoted by civil society whose objective is to establish a comprehensive preventive approach for the protection of those who defend the environment and human rights.
Before providing the names of the victims of whom it is aware, Global Witness makes a regrettable warning: “We recognize that the names of many other defenders who were killed or disappeared last year are missing. We may never know how many more gave their lives to protect our planet. Global Witness recognizes and honors their work.”
These are the victims from Colombia:
- Aida Damaris Flor Camayo
- Alberto Quitumbo Yatacue
- Astrid Viviana Ordonez Arcos
- Carmelo Guerrero Reyes
- Celimo Hurtado Bulgara
- Cristian Fernando Guanga
- Darli Lucia Arcia Anaya
- Edgar Tumina Gembuel
- Eduardo Campo Cha
- Elizabeth Mojica Nieves
- Erik Anderson Menza Pavi
- Ernesto Esau Munoz Casamachin
- Ferley Perdomo Molina
- German Rozo Aristizabal
- Guillermo Velasco
- Hernan Amaya Velasquez
- Jacinto Chocue
- Jaime Alonso Gallego Gomez
- Jairo Alberto Diaz Salazar
- James Tomas Guanga Quelal
- Jesus Alveiro Chaves Quejuan
- Jose Albeiro Liz Muchicon
- Jose Erlery Velasco Bolanos
- Jose Migel Mojica Conchangui
- Juan Carlos Rodriguez Torres
- Julian Arenas
- Leonario Samir Montero Paz
- Luis Alberto Pena
- Luis Aurelio Araujo Hernandez
- Luis Edurdo Cisneros Gomez
- Luis Fernando Mayorga Rodriguez
- Luz Heneida Hinestroza
- Marco Antonio Suarez Arroyave
- Marcos Yonda Toconas
- Pedro Maria Ropero Delgado
- Willy David Perez Quiroz
- Wilmer Solarte Pascal
- Yackson Orlando Solarte Chunata
- Zuleima Mosquera Beltran