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One day in November of last year, Julia Chuñil called for her dog, her loyal pet, and they set off into the forest near her residence to look for lost farm animals. The cattle returned but Chuñil, then aged 72, and her dog did not.

Over a hundred individuals participated with her family in a search lasting multiple weeks in the rugged, wet and thickly vegetated terrain of the nation of Chile’s pristine Valdivian forest. After a month, they even kept an eye on vultures for any grim signs. But they discovered no evidence of Chuñil.

Chuñil is one of 146 territorial and ecological activists who were murdered or disappeared globally in the previous year, according to a report by the campaign group Global Witness. About a third of those, like Chuñil, were from native groups – a significant toll for populations who collectively constitute just six percent of the world’s population.

Chuñil, a leader of Chile’s indigenous Mapuche, was residing in disputed land. A decade earlier she had settled in a protected forest area, a 900-hectare section of the ancient Valdivian ecosystem 800 kilometers south of Santiago, which her people asserted as an historical homeland.

For many years she campaigning to obtain property titles over the location for her community. But the site’s nominal owner, the heir of settlers, refused to relinquish ownership. He wanted the area for logging – the country serves as a major supplier of lumber to the US – and he wanted rid of the activist. Prior to her disappearance, Chuñil informed supporters: “Should harm come to me, you already know who is responsible.”

International Reporting on Violence Against Activists

The organization started documenting incidents of killings and vanishing acts of territorial and ecological defenders in 2012. Since then, it has collated a overall count of 2,253 instances. For the past decade, the most dangerous place has been Central and South America. Last year it represented 82% of reported incidents, including 45 Indigenous people.

“Territorial disputes lies at the core of aggression against activists, and native communities are bearing the greatest cost,” stated a senior policy adviser at Global Witness. “Communities with ancestral connections to land often lead the resistance when their lands are endangered from exploitation and invasion. But despite their vital function, they are frequently refused acknowledgment and justice, and exposed to grave danger for defending their rightful lands.”

Nation-Specific Statistics and Under-reporting

Chuñil’s was the sole case recorded in her nation last year, even though it fitted a trend of the singling out of Mapuche advocates in Chile. Colombia reported 48 instances, making it the deadliest nation in total for environmental defenders, followed by Guatemala with 20 cases, the deadliest nation by population. The country of Mexico had 19 cases, putting it in number three in the ranking.

Incomplete data remains an issue, particularly in Asia and Africa, which recorded sixteen and 9 cases each, the monitor noted. In general, last year the fewest incidents of killings and disappearances of environmental defenders were documented for a decade.

Laura Furones, who led the research for Global Witness, commented: “It would be gratifying to report that this implies a decrease in hostilities and an enhancement in the conditions for defenders, but unfortunately that’s not the case. Rights advocates face situations of violence that extend well past homicide. What violence often does is evolve, grow more complex, alter its appearance.”

Continuing Fight for Justice

Chuñil’s family have persisted in seeking legal resolution but their advocacy has exposed them to threats and harassment, too. During April, a pair of creatures from her property that they had planned to auction to finance legal costs were discovered dead, one murdered by gunfire and another by toxins. “It is, above all, a deliberate attempt to block us from fighting this legal matter,” her son a family member informed Global Witness.

Their analysis calls on authorities to take steps to end the lack of punishment of the killers of land activists by addressing the lack of rights activists have over property, strengthening ineffective national legal systems, and ensuring endangered advocates are provided sufficient government security.

“All we are asking for is a full, fair probe to take place,” San Martín said of his mother’s situation. “It’s been almost a year since she disappeared and we’re still in the dark about the events. We want the responsible parties to be identified and prosecuted.”