# Nature and land defenders form self-defence units amid murder threat

https://mins.news/en/item/60359

- The Guardian, 2026-09-16 05:00 UTC
- Society
- Original: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/16/nature-land-defenders-self-defence-murder-organised-crime

> Global Witness says 124 people defending forests, rivers and land were killed in 2025, at a rate of one every three days, with 85% of the deaths in Latin America. As organised crime, drug trafficking and environmental crimes encroach on Indigenous territories, more communities are creating their own self-defence groups.

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