A farmers’ leader shot in the back is one of 18 activists killed this year, targeted for opposing evictions, logging and mining

At 9am on 9 May, Luis Arturo Marroquín walked out of a shop in the main square of the small town of San Luis Jilotepéque in central Guatemala. Eyewitnesses say a black Toyota Hilux pick-up then drove up and, in full view of passersby, two men wearing hoods shot Marroquín repeatedly in the back.

Growing demand for palm oil is depleting forests as the Orang Asli tribe fights for its rights.

Dendi Johari is an Orang Asli fighting for his tribe's rights in Malaysia's eastern state of Kelantan.

As an indigenous activist, Dendi makes trips from his village in the deep forest of Gua Musang to the state's capital to attend court hearings, community meetings and participate in forest road blockades to protest logging in the lands that Orang Asli consider theirs.

Indigenous alliance accuses Jakarta of dragging its feet in coming up with measures to ensure ancestral lands are protected

Indonesia's indigenous people have condemned the government for failing to protect them from "greedy" corporations that they say continue to encroach on their ancestral lands without fear of legal reprisals.

There are more than 100 "uncontacted" tribes in Brazil's Amazon rainforest - the highest anywhere on the planet

RIO DE JANEIRO - Up to 2.5 billion people depend on indigenous and community lands, which make up more than half of all land globally, but they legally own just 10 percent.

The right of indigenous people to land and territories is protected by international legal conventions including the United Nations' Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which was endorsed by hundreds of countries in 2007.

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 6 2018 (IPS) - Although indigenous peoples are being increasingly recognised by both rights activists and governmental organisations, they are still being neglected in legal documents and declarations. Indigenous peoples are only mentioned in two of the 17 United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and only seen in two of the 230 SDG indicators, says indigenous rights expert Chris Chapman.

Indigenous communities occupying four territories in eastern Panama are taking their nearly five-year land-titling battle with the government to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in Washington, D.C. Their move comes despite recent gains in the Panamanian process.

Can digital technologies play a role in “closing the gap” in the 21st century?

Our research is focused on designing digital technologies that operate outside existing power structures. That means Indigenous leaders taking charge of the process – and consulting Indigenous end-users throughout.

Murders of land and environmental activists are surging in the Philippines

BANGKOK - Murders of land and environmental activists are surging in the Philippines, making it the deadliest country in Asia, according to campaigners who said the government has failed to provide protection.

The Philippines-based rights group Karapatan recorded at least 63 killings of land and environmental activists last year, more than double the previous year.

BOGOTA - Nearly four land and environmental activists were killed each week last year, murdered for opposing large-scale agriculture and mining projects in the deadliest year on record, a campaign group said on Tuesday.

In 22 countries surveyed by U.K.-based Global Witness, at least 207 activists were killed, making 2017 the deadliest year since 2002 when the human rights organization started collecting data.

On 3 July 2018, the European Parliament adopted by 534 votes to 71, with 73 abstentions, a resolution on violations of the rights of indigenous peoples in the world, including land grabbing, drafted by rapporteur Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Francisco Assis (S&D).

Nurse-turned activist Isela Gonzalez lives with bodyguards and constant threat in her fight against destructive economic interests

Not all land defenders fight in remote forests and coastlands. Some take the battle to the centres of power: to courtrooms, parliament buildings and corporate headquarters. The veneer of urban civility may be glossier here, but the struggle is no less dangerous. In some cases, it can be worse.

A new study makes a significant contribution to the growing body of research showing that recognizing the land rights of and partnering with indigenous peoples can greatly benefit conservation efforts.