Chico Mendes

Chico Mendes was a Brazilian rubber tapper and environmentalist who fought to protect the Amazon rainforest from deforestation. He organized rubber tappers into unions to defend their livelihoods and the forest, creating 'extractive reserves' that allowed for sustainable use of the land. His work demonstrated that environmental protection and economic survival for local communities are not mutually exclusive. Mendes' assassination brought global attention to the destruction of the Amazon, and his model of community-led conservation remains a vital strategy for protecting the world's most critical ecosystems.