The Mexican government, at all levels, is the primary threat to individuals and communities defending the environment in our country; meanwhile, organized crime has become the second-largest threat, and private companies are the third, according to the Mexican Center for Environmental Law (CEMDA).
Upon presenting the 12th edition of the “Report on the Situation of Individuals and Communities Defending Environmental Human Rights in Mexico,” CEMDA expressed concern over the lack of public policy that prioritizes individuals and communities defending the environment, land, territory, and the country’s natural resources.
According to the data presented, in 2025, 135 incidents of aggression were documented, involving 314 specific acts of aggression, including stigmatization, intimidation, and defamation. There was a notable increase compared to the previous year, when there were 94 incidents of aggression and 236 specific acts of aggression.
As for homicides, 10 victims were documented in 2025, and no extrajudicial executions were recorded. CEMDA noted that “the absence of data does not necessarily imply that this type of aggression did not occur”; it is also likely that the number of homicides is underreported.
The sectors posing the greatest risk to environmental advocacy work in 2025 were water resources, with 29 incidents of aggression; biodiversity, with 22; transportation, with 18; and the energy sector, with 16.The areas of defense with the highest number of incidents of aggression were water defense (59), territorial defense (41), and land defense (32), according to the report.
In addition, the states with the highest number of incidents of aggression were Mexico City (39), Puebla (20), and Oaxaca (17). Together, these account for 56.2% of all incidents of aggression.
The CEMDA report also highlights Jalisco, where 8 incidents of aggression and 17 specific acts of aggression were recorded. Additionally, 3 of the 10 lethal attacks and 1 of the 3 documented disappearances occurred in this state.
In terms of the victims’ cultural identity, the indigenous communities that suffered the most attacks in 2025 were the Nahua, Zapotec, and Mazatec. Other communities, such as the Chontal, Otomí, Maya, Purépecha, and Mixtec, among others, were also victims of attacks.
Another notable finding in the report is that attacks against women, civil society organizations, and communities increased. 74.7% of the recorded incidents involved the latter two groups. Meanwhile, attacks against women primarily consisted of intimidation, harassment, defamation, threats, gender-based violence, criminalization, and stigmatization.
Original text published by Desinformémonos on April 22nd, 2026.
Translation by Schools for Chiapas.