Chico Mendes on a river in Amazonia.

Francisco Alves Mendes Filho , December 15, 1944 – December 22, 1988), also known as Chico Mendes, was a Brazilian rubber tapper, unionist and environmental activist. He fought to stop the logging of the Amazon Rainforest for the purposes of cattle ranching, and founded a national union of rubber tappers in an attempt to preserve their profession and the rainforest that it relied upon. He was murdered in 1988 by ranchers opposed to his activism. Brazilian rainforest activist Chico Mendes Source http://www. ... Brazilian rainforest activist Chico Mendes Source http://www. ... A river in the Amazon rainforest The Amazon is a rainforest in South America. ... December 15 is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... December 22 is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Latex being collected from a tapped rubber tree Rubber is an elastic hydrocarbon polymer which occurs as a milky colloidal suspension (known as latex) in the sap of several varieties of plants. ... A Trade Union (Labour union) ... is a continuous association of wage-earners for the purpose of maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment. ... Environmentalism is activism aimed at improving the environment, particularly nature. ... River in the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest The Amazon Rainforest (in Portuguese, Floresta Amazônica or Amazônia — and in Spanish, Selva Amazónica) is a moist broadleaf forest in the Amazon Basin of South America. ...

"At first I thought I was fighting to save rubber trees, then I thought I was fighting to save the Amazon rainforest. Now I realise I am fighting for humanity." - Chico Mendes, Rubber tappers' leader

History

Mendes grew up in a family of rubber tappers in Acre State, Brazil, and when he was of age, continued on in the family tradition. However, rubber prices had collapsed in the 1960s, and many landowners were selling their properties to the highest bidder - which in most cases, meant cattle ranchers. Rubber tappers were finding themselves pushed out of their lands. Acre is a state of Brazil, located in the north_western part of the country. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ...

In the 1970s, he joined the rubber tappers of the forest. They would march down logging trails, overrun forest clearance parties, disarming guards and attempting to convince the ranchers' workers not to continue. In many cases, they were successful at doing so, despite resistance from the ranchers -in 1980, Mendes' ally Wilson Pinheiro was assassinated. The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ...

Founding of unions

Mendes then began to move into a more mainstream political arena. He stood successfully for the local council in Xapuri. He was a leading local member of the socialist Workers Party (PT). He advocated the idea of creating forest reserves that would be managed by traditional communities, and sustainably harvesting goods such as rubber and Brazil nuts. He saw benefit in uniting the rubber tappers in an attempt to hold their ground against the ranchers, and founded the Xapuri Rural Workers' Union, becoming its President. Over the next few years, Mendes and the union had some successes, but he decided that it would be more beneficial to unite all the Brazilian tappers in one union. The Workers Party is a name used by various political parties throughout the world. ...

When the first meeting of this new union, the National Council of Rubber Tappers, was held in 1985, in the capital, Brasilia, rubber tappers from all over the country came. Many had never been outside their local area before. He succeeded in educating many about the issues of deforestation, road paving, cattle ranching, and the threats to their own livelihoods. The meeting also had the effect of catching the attention of the international environmentalist movement, and highlighting their plight to a larger audience. He chose to align himself and the union with environmentalism, rather than Marxism. In October that year, English filmmaker Adrian Cowell made a documentary about Mendes. 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Bras lia is the capital city of Brazil and is located in the center of the country in a federal district created in the state of Goi s. ... Marxism refers to the philosophy and social theory based on Karl Marxs work on one hand, and to the political practice based on Marxist theory on the other hand (namely, parts of the First International during Marxs time, communist parties and later states). ...

Individual activism

In 1987, after being contacted by the Environmental Defense and National Wildlife Federation, Mendes flew to Washington D.C. in an attempt to convince the Inter-American Development Bank that their road project in his area would end in disaster, unless it took into consideration the preservation of the forest and the livelihoods of its inhabitants. He was successful, with the project first being postponed, and then, with his participation, renegotiated. He won two international environmental awards for this. On his return, he met with General Bayma Denys, the Minister of the Military Cabinet of the Presidency, and used the opportunity to push his ideas for reserves. 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The National Wildlife Federation is the largest and most prominent American conservation organization, with over 5 million members and supporters in 47 state-affiliated organizations; its annual budget is over $125 million as of 2006. ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United... The Inter-American Development Bank (preferred abbreviation: IDB; but frequently given as IADB), was established in 1959 to support Latin American and Caribbean economic/social development and regional integration by lending mainly to public institutions. ...

In 1988, Mendes launched a campaign to stop rancher Darly Alves da Silva from logging an area that was planned a reserve. Mendes not only managed to stop the planned deforestation and create the reserve, but also gained a warrant for Darly's arrest, for a murder committed in another state. He delivered the warrant to the federal police, but it was never acted upon. 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Assassination

On 22 December 1988, Mendes was assassinated by gunshot at his Xapuri home. In December, 1990 rancher Darcy Pereira and his father were sentenced to 19 years in prison for their part in Mendes' assassination. In February, 1992, they won a retrial, but remained in prison. In 1993, they staged an escape, but Darcy was recaptured and as of 2004, is still in prison. December 22 is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This is an incomplete list of persons that were assassinated for political and other reasons, and who have individual entries. ... Xapuri is a municipality located in the southeast of the Brazilian state of Acre. ... This article is about the year. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The death of Chico Mendes made international headlines, including being on the front page of the New York Times. After his death, and the international media attention caused by it, the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve was created in the area around where he lived. There are more than 20 such reserves now, along the same lines as Mendes had proposed, covering more than 8 million acres (32,000 km²). Paul McCartney released a song in his honor entitled "How Many People" on his 1989 album Flowers in the Dirt. A memorial garden in his honor was constructed in New York City, but was controversially demolished in 1997. He was also the focus of the song Cuando los Angeles Lloran by Mexican rock band Maná, Ricordati di Chico by Italian rock band Nomadi, The Tallest Tree by English singer-songwriter Roy Harper and was mentioned in the anthem Amazon by Australian singer-songwriter Bruce Watson. He was also cited in Living Colour's song "Sacred Ground". Additionally, the latin rock group, Mana, has venerated Chico Mendes in their award-winning song, "Cuando los angeles lloran". The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, (born 18 June 1942, Liverpool) is an English singer and songwriter. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Flowers in the Dirt is Paul McCartneys comeback album, released in 1989. ... Nickname: Big Apple; City that never Sleeps; Gotham Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Manhattan Queens Brooklyn Staten Island Settled 1613 Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Maná Maná is a Mexican rock group that had its origins near the end of the 1970s in Guadalajara, Jalisco. ... The Nomadi is an Italian musical band founded in 1963, still present on the scene. ... The term singer-songwriter refers to performers who both write and sing their own material. ... Roy Harper (born 12 June 1941), is an English singer-songwriter / guitarist who specialises in folk music. ... The term singer-songwriter refers to performers who both write and sing their own material. ... Bruce Watson is an Australian songwriter, performer and children’s entertainer. ... Living Colour is a hard rock group formed in New York city in 1984 by African American musicians. ...

In the Cinema

Chico Mendes was interpreted by Raúl Júliá in the movie The Burning Season (in portuguese, Amazônia em Chamas), directed by the film maker John Frankenheimerand based on the book of the same name by Andrew Revkin. In the cast, Sônia Braga, Edward James Olmos and Kamala Lopez-Dawson also feature. The movie is available in VHS and DVD formats. It was one of Juliá's last performances before his death in 1994; he posthumously won a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award for his portrayal of Mendes. Altogether the film won three Golden Globe awards and two Emmys. Raúl Juliá Raúl Rafael Juliá y Arcelay (March 9, 1940 – October 24, 1994) was a Puerto Rican actor who lived and worked for many years in the United States. ... John Michael Frankenheimer (February 19, 1930 – July 6, 2002) was an American film director. ... Sônia Maria Braga (born June 8, 1950) is a Brazilian actress. ... Edward James Olmos as Commander William Adama on Battlestar Galatica Edward James Olmos (born February 24, 1947) is an American actor. ... Recent Publicity Photo Kamala Lopez-Dawson is a film artist who has starred in well known movies as Born in East L.A., Deep Cover and The Burning Season (co-staring the late Raúl Juliá) in addition to dozens of other English and Spanish-language films and television shows. ... Top view of VHS cassette with U.S. 25c coin for scale Bottom view of VHS cassette with magnetic tape exposed Top view of VHS cassette with front casing removed The Video Home System, better known by its abbreviation VHS, is a recording and playing standard for analog video cassette... DVD (sometimes called Digital Versatile Disc, or Digital Video Disc) is an optical disc storage media format that can be used for data storage, including movies with high video and sound quality. ... The Golden Globe Awards are American awards for motion pictures and television programs, given out each year during a formal dinner. ... An Emmy Award. ...

External links

• Award-winning documentary about Chico's life and death - Miranda Productions
• Website and documentary about Chico Mendes
• Anniversary article about Chico and conservation in the Amazon
• Extractive Reserve Baixo Rio Branco - Rio Jauaperi
• Award-winning biography of Mendes by Andrew C. Revkin