Ecoterrorism is a recently coined term describing violence in the interests of environmentalism. In general, environmental extremists sabotage property to inflict economic damage on industries or actors they see as harming animals or the natural enviroment. Thes have included fur companies, logging companies and animal research laboratories, for example.
The FBI defines eco-terrorism as "the use or threatened use of violence of a criminal nature against innocent victims or property by an environmentally-oriented, subnational group for environmental-political reasons, or aimed at an audience beyond the target, often of a symbolic nature."
The term eco-terrorism" is controversial and political: the charge of eco-terrorism against environmentalists who are in the main non-violent has been used by companies and others who are the objects of environmentalists' charges.
The use by even radical environmentalist groups of terrorist tactics—violence against civilians design to create widespread fear—is genuinely minimal. Extremist environmental groups have advocated property sabotage or vandalism, at times. According to media watchdog Sourcewatch, "since 1990 there have been numerous attempts by industry front groups, PR firms and conservative think-tanks to associate environmental activism with terrorism."