land conflicts<\/a>\u00a0in recent months, had the most murders with 49. Nicaragua (11) has the highest rate of killings per capita and in Colombia, figures hit an all-time high of 37 deaths in a year, the report says.<\/p>\n\u201cThese reports tell a very grim story. The battle to protect the planet is rapidly intensifying and the cost can be counted in human lives,\u201d said Ben Leather, a campaigner at Global Witness.<\/p>\n
In Asia, resistance to big mining projects in such countries as India and the Philippines has been met with state-sanctioned repression and violence. The former observed a three-fold increase in killings and, at 28, the latter stands out as the most lethal country in the region.<\/p>\n
Logging and agriculture, including extensive cattle ranching, are two other main drivers of conflict, the report says.<\/p>\n