Environmental activist killings double as corruption identified as key driver

August 5th 2019

By environment reporter Nick Kilvert

The number of people killed defending the environment has doubled in the past 15 years, and corruption is driving the high rate, according to new research.

Between 2002 and 2017, at least 1,558 people globally were killed while trying to defend land, forest, water or other natural resources from development.

Indigenous people were disproportionately represented among the dead, often defending land they lived on or relied on for resources.

Others killed included lawyers, journalists, rangers, community activists and leaders.

The research, published in Nature, is based on figures from environmental NGO Global Witness, and researchers said it was unclear if the increasing rate of killings reflected a surge of violence or an increase in reporting.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-08-06/defending-environmen...