Driving harms against people and planetLand inequality
Access to land and territory, and conflicts over its control and use, are central issues in most countries where land and environmental defenders face threats. Land inequality is connected to many political and social injustices. It is also linked to wider global crises including the erosion of democracy and the climate and biodiversity crises.
These drivers, often driven by political decision-making and the pursuit of profit, squeeze rural communities or force them off their land altogether – while wealth and power is increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few.
Corporate interests and political elites are the winners, while smallholder farmers, Indigenous Peoples, women, and landless and traditional rural communities face increased discrimination, oppression and dispossession.
Environmental harms
The world is grappling with a host of environmental crises – from climate change-induced disasters to biodiversity loss to pollution. These crises largely result from the extraction of natural resources by governments, big business and illicit actors in the pursuit of profit.
This exploitation can take many forms, including illegal wildlife trafficking, logging, fishing, mining and large-scale agriculture – much of which can result in pollution of the land, water and air.
When communities’ land rights are not recognised or respected, an area’s ecosystems, natural resources and broader environment are at risk of being exploited, harmed or destroyed by corporations or states – with potential climatic consequences.
Corporate harms and impunity
For decades, businesses have profited from human rights abuses and destructive practices that have harmed the planet and destroyed the lives and livelihoods of those who have tried to stop them.
Our current global economic system relies on the extraction of natural resources and exploitation of land by profit-driven corporations. The race for profit frequently sees companies conduct large-scale extraction projects without conducting adequate due diligence, respecting land rights, or involving communities in decision-making.
Violence is often the result. The depletion of natural resources and loss of livelihoods can spark community disputes, while those who speak out against irresponsible business practices are often stigmatised, harassed or criminalised.
Corruption
The rising demand for food, fuel and commodities has seen an intense scramble for land for mining, logging, agribusiness and infrastructure projects over the past decade.
Corporations, foreign investment funds, state officials and the governments of wealthy yet resource-poor countries collude in this land grab, harming local communities, who are rarely consulted or compensated.
When land and environmental defenders speak out or seek redress, they often face a brick wall of corruption. This ranges from corrupt judges hearing defender complaints to police and local authorities being bribed to threaten, intimidate or even arrest community members for taking a stand.
Conflict
For land and environmental defenders, conflict poses an insurmountable challenge as it takes prominence over any attempt to do their work. Across war zones, destruction, violence and mass displacement tear defenders away from their communities and the land they protect.
Armed groups, illicit criminal gangs or even state forces often target defenders in conflict zones, seeing them as obstacles to economic interests like mining, logging or agribusiness.
The breakdowns in legal systems in conflict zones makes it harder for defenders and their communities to report abuses or seek protection – and weakens traditional knowledge systems and environmental protection efforts.