The earth breathes through forests. If forests are destroyed, the level of oxygen in the atmosphere will steadily come down and this will result in the annihilation of life on Earth. Chico Mendes was a conservationist who fought until his final breath for the cause of forests.
Chico Mendes was born in Brazil in a family of rubber tappers. His family supplemented their income by sustainably gathering nuts and other rainforest products. Chico Mendes is best known for his efforts at saving the rainforests of Brazil from logging and ranching activities. Alarmed at the devastation of the Amazon rainforest, he helped to ignite international support for its preservation.
His activities, however, drew the ire of powerful ranching and timber interests, who were exploiting the Amazon forest, slowly destroying it. They conspired to murder him to get rid of his menace. Mendes was assassinated by cattle ranchers at the age of 44 on December 22, 1988. The Chico Mendes Institute for Conservation of Biodiversity, a body under the jurisdiction of the Brazilian ministry of the environment is named in his honour.
Picture Credit : Google
