More than 200 environmental activists were murdered worldwide last year. According to the British human rights organization Global Witness did the death toll in 2020 come out at least 227. Never before have so many activists been killed, according to the organization.
In Colombia, by far the most conservationists and environmentalists were killed: 65. In Mexico the number of confirmed deaths is 30, followed by the Philippines with 29 and Brazil with 20. “2020 was the worst year yet. The aggression against environmental and human rights activists has increased significantly,” said Lourdes Castro of the Colombian non-governmental organization Somos Defensores. “Usually, indigenous people defending their ancestral lands are targeted.” According to the organization, many attacks have to do with the intention to use nature for monetary gain, such as forestry, mining and large-scale farming.
‘Actual number is higher’
The real number is likely higher, according to the non-governmental organization, due to unreported or misrepresented cases, especially in Africa. In 2019, at least 212 environmental activists were killed worldwide.
Mainly behind the acts of violence are companies, farmers and sometimes government officials. Criminal gangs, paramilitary groups and rebels are also killing activists. Globally, most of the killings of environmentalists were related to forestry, followed by water and dam construction projects and agriculture, according to the Global Witness report.
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