Can stricter penalties curb Latin America’s rising ‘ecocide’? Activists propose model law for environmental crimes

Lawyers and environmentalists from Latin America unveiled a model law this week that punishes severe environmental harm by eliminating excuses for failing to protect ecosystems, one of its authors told AFP. — AFP pic

First Published: Sunday, 04 Oct 2026 7:00 AM MYT

MEXICO CITY, Oct 4 — Lawyers and environmentalists from Latin America unveiled a model law this week that punishes severe environmental harm by eliminating excuses for failing to protect ecosystems, one of its authors told AFP.

Latin America is home to about a third of the world’s biodiversity.

It is also one of the most dangerous regions for environmental defenders, with dozens murdered each year.

The region also suffers from high rates of impunity for environmental crimes, or “ecocide,” a term used to describe serious harm against the natural world.

“We are champions at passing beautiful laws that are then not enforced,” Rodrigo Lledo, Latin America director of the organisation Stop Ecocide International, told AFP by telephone.

The Model Ecocide Law was presented Thursday in Mexico City by Stop Ecocide along with the Mexican centre for environmental justice CEMDA and researchers at Mexico’s Iberoamericana University.

It gives Latin American congresses a framework to “penalise serious environmental destruction,” Stop Ecocide said in a statement.

The mock law calls for governments to give greater protection, such as a police escort, to whistleblowers, witnesses and experts in criminal cases of ecocide.

It also proposes harsher penalties for crimes committed against them, in order to “prevent and, eventually, punish those who want to attack those who protect nature,” Lledo added.

According to the NGO Global Witness, 85 per cent of the 124 murders of environmental activists in 2025 took place in Latin America.

Attempts by local jurisdictions to boost environmental protections have been hobbled by a lack of enforcement.

A decade after the Constitutional Court of Colombia declared the Atrato River a “living entity” with “rights” to protection and conservation, the waterway continues to be affected by pollution caused by illegal mining.

The Model Ecocide Law argues that the difficulty in identifying the perpetrators of environmental crimes does not exempt the state from its responsibility to stop the destruction and repair the damage.

It aims to push governments to effectively pursue those responsible and prevent prosecutors from simply halting investigations because of the difficulty in finding the culprits.

“There is no excuse,” Lledo said. “This is the underlying philosophy.” — AFP