Brazil: environmental protection is dangerous

In many parts of the world, standing up for one's forest, land, or environment has become incredibly dangerous. A new briefing by Global Witness finds that 711 activists, journalists, and community members were murdered defending or investigating land and forest rights issues between 2002 and 2011. Such killings are on the rise: last year 106 people were killed over defending land and forest rights, the highest number in the past ten years.

"This trend points to the increasingly fierce global battle for resources, and represents the sharpest of wake-up calls for delegates in Rio. Over one person a week is being murdered for defending rights to forests and land," Billy Kyte, campaigner at Global Witness, said in a press release, referring to the United Nations Rio+20 Summit on Sustainable Development, which is meeting this week.

The briefing—which catalogues people killed while investigating or protesting activities such as mining, logging, agriculture, ranching, plantations, dams, urban development, and poaching—notes that "these trends are symptomatic of the increasingly fierce competition for resources, and the brutality and injustice that come with it."

Brazil alone accounted for over half of the murders documented by Global Witness for a total of 365 people killed over the past ten years. Next in line are Peru, Colombia, and the Philippines. In these countries, as well as in Cambodia, Indonesia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Global Witness says that many of the killings include serious links to private sector involvement, both domestic and international. Most murders occurred in Latin America and Asia with far fewer reported in Africa, however Global Witness this may be to a lack of information.

Read more: http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0619-hance-land-killings-rising.html#ixzz1yH377BmY