The Mexican Center for Environmental Law (CEMDA) warns about the serious security crisis faced by territory protectors after documenting dozens of forced disappearances between 2020 and 2024.
In a period of just five years, the integrity of those who guard the natural resources in Mexico has been severely compromised.
According to recent data provided by the Mexican Center for Environmental Law (CEMDA), a total of 59 activists and land defenders were victims of disappearance while performing their environmental protection duties between the years 2020 and 2024.
Gustavo Alanís, director of the organization, detailed that these figures reflect a critical scenario for the defense of the biocultural heritage in the country.
The recount of these cases highlights that the disappearance of environmental defenders in Mexico has become a recurring tactic to silence local resistances against extractive projects or illicit activities that impact the ecosystems.
The documentation gathered by CEMDA emphasizes that these events are not isolated incidents, but occur systematically in various regions of the national territory.
The affected individuals, who mostly belong to indigenous communities or agrarian nuclei, face disproportionate risks when opposing the degradation of their natural environments or claiming rights over their lands.
Disappearance of environmental defenders
This report underscores the urgency for authorities to implement effective protection mechanisms and strengthen investigations to locate the activists.
The lack of security guarantees not only endangers the lives of the defenders, but also weakens the civil society’s response capacity to the climate crisis and the loss of biodiversity in the country.
The balance presented by Alanís serves as an international wake-up call about the legal and physical precariousness in which Mexican environmentalists operate, positioning the country as one of the most dangerous geographies for territorial activism in the region.
