The African Environmental Defenders Initiative (AEDI) was established to strengthen the safety, visibility, and resilience of environmental and land defenders across Africa. Defenders are at the forefront of protecting land, natural resources, biodiversity, and community rights, yet they remain among the most at risk of harassment, intimidation, criminalization, and violence. This review document sets out AEDI’s vision, priorities, and pathways for action over the past 3 years, building on lessons learned since the Initiative’s launch and positioning it as a leading force for defender protection on the continent.
Over the years, the AEDI has served as a vital protection and support mechanism for African environmental defenders, providing rapid response assistance such as legal aid, relocation, and psychosocial support.
The following report shows the data collected over the years from 2022-2024 through the Emergency Fund application process. As the Fund is still gaining recognition across the continent, the data may not fully represent the state of attacks across the continent; however, it provides a picture of the nature and extent of threats. At all times, this report attempts to document and provide case studies reflecting on the trends, as seen by the Defenders Fund, which can provide policy makers, governments, businesses and civil society with a snapshot of the context in which defenders are working.
