IUCN Director General's statement on the loss of environmental defender in Guatemala

Marco Antonio Zuleta Quevedo, a park ranger and forest firefighter at the Sierra de las Minas Biosphere Reserve and a collaborator with the IUCN Member organization Defensores de la Naturaleza, was found dead on the night of May 9, after reporting illegal activities related to the extraction of natural resources in the Reserve.

With over 240,000 hectares, the Sierra de las Minas Biosphere Reserve, co-managed by Defensores de la Naturaleza and the National Council for Protected Areas (CONAP), both IUCN Members, is home to at least 575 species of birds, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles, as well as more than 1,690 species of plants. Over 60 rivers originate within the reserve, and it harbors the largest expanse of cloud forest in Central America. Approximately 280,000 people live in more than 200 communities within the reserve's boundaries and depend on the ecosystem goods and services it provides.

IUCN Resolution 2.37, "Support for Environmental Defenders", adopted at the 2000 World Conservation Congress calls on the IUCN Director General to speak out publicly and forcefully, to discourage harassment or persecution of environmental advocates.

In this context, IUCN reaffirms its strong commitment to defending the rights of rangers and environmental defenders, who put themselves at risk to safeguard the integrity of territories and ensure the conservation of biodiversity and natural resources for the benefit of communities and future generations. The defense of territories, ecosystems, and their biodiversity must never be a reason for persecution or violence.

IUCN urgently calls on all relevant national and international authorities, as well as its partners and allies, to recover and strengthen environmental civic spaces, and to work jointly to promote effective safety and protection protocols and mechanisms that guarantee the rights of individuals, communities, and organizations defending nature and their territories.

IUCN stands in solidarity with the family of Zuleta Quevedo and with all personnel at Defensores de la Naturaleza, and reiterates its commitment to supporting institutions and authorities in strengthening policies, programs, and mechanisms for the protection of environmental defenders.