Land of the resilient

Defending natural resources in Latin America has never been more dangerous. According to a 2016 report presented by Special Rapporteur Michel Forst to the UN, six of the ten most hostile countries for environmental defenders and their ancestral lands are in this region. In response to this situation, a team of 50 journalists, developers, and photographers/videographers from ten countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela) investigated episodes of violence against these leaders and their communities. The project resulted in a database documenting 2,367 victimizing events that occurred between 2009 and 2019, along with 29 in-depth reports that shed light on this critical issue.