Land defenders form self-defence units as killings remain concentrated in Latin America

A persistent global death toll

At least 124 people protecting land, water and ecosystems were killed in 2025, according to a new Global Witness count reported by the Guardian. That is approximately one killing every three days. About 85% of the recorded deaths occurred in Latin America, with Colombia accounting for 39, Brazil 26 and Honduras 12. The Philippines also recorded 12. The figures describe targeted violence over an entire year, not a newly confirmed military attack.

Communities build their own protection

In Peru’s Ucayali region, the Kakataibo people have expanded a civilian self-defence network to more than 150 volunteers operating from 10 bases. The guards patrol territory threatened by drug trafficking, illegal logging and land seizures, usually without the resources available to state security forces. Their growth reflects a calculation that documenting intrusions and organising rapid local responses can deter some threats, even when it cannot eliminate the armed networks behind them.

Illegal economies raise the danger

The Guardian reported that coca cultivation in the Ucayali basin increased by roughly 600% between 2019 and 2023. Seven Indigenous guards were killed during the latest reporting period, with five of those deaths linked to organised crime. Across the wider dataset, nearly three-quarters of those killed or disappeared since monitoring began were Indigenous people or small-scale farmers, groups whose livelihoods often depend directly on contested land and forests.

Colombia illustrates the structural risk

United Nations reporting on Colombia describes persistent attacks on human-rights defenders as part of a broader interaction between armed conflict, illegal economies, environmental disputes and weak state presence. That official context helps explain why Colombia remains the deadliest country in the new count. It does not independently verify every 2025 case, but it supports the assessment that defenders face systematic risks rather than a collection of unrelated criminal incidents.

Protection must extend beyond patrols

Community guards can improve warning systems and maintain a visible presence, but they cannot substitute for investigations, land-title enforcement and protection tailored to local conditions. The next measures to watch are prosecutions for attacks, government action against trafficking and illegal extraction, and whether protection budgets reach remote communities. Without those changes, civilian patrols may become more exposed precisely because they are the most organised obstacle to lucrative illicit activity.