José Cláudio Ribeiro da Silva
Encyclopedia
José Cláudio Ribeiro da Silva (? - May 24, 2011) was a Brazil
ian conservationist
and environmentalist
who campaigned against logging
and clearcutting
of trees in the Amazon rainforest
.
Ribeiro da Silva, who was also known by the nickname Zé Cláudio, campaigned against illegal logging
, deforestation
and ranchers. He originally worked as a community leader at a forest reserve that produced sustainable rainforest products, such as oils and nuts. He became an anti-logging activist as illegal logger began to encroach further into untouched areas of Pará, his largely forested homestate in northern Brazil. He and his wife, Maria do Espírito Santo, had received death threat
s for his activism in favor of the preservation of Brazil's rainforest. In 2008, a report issued by a group of Brazilian human rights
groups listed Ribeiro da Silva one of a dozen activists based in the Amazon to be "considered at risk" of harm or assassination by opponents.
In November 2010, da Silva was invited to speak at TED conference
. He told the TED audience that his particular region of Pará once had 85% coverage of native Amazonian plants. However, since the arrival of loggers, the region's plant biodiversity
had shrunk to just 20% native Amazonian plant life. De Silva also acknowledged the death threats that he had received, "I will protect the forest at all costs. That is why I could get a bullet in my head at any moment — because I denounce the loggers and charcoal
producers."
José Cláudio Ribeiro da Silva, aged 52, and his wife, Maria do Espírito Santo, aged 51, were shot and killed in an ambush attack on May 24, 2011. The attack occurred ata settlement called Maçaranduba 2, which is located near their home in Nova Ipixuna
, Pará
. José Cláudio Ribeiro da Silva had been refused police protection by local authorities, according to reports by the Diário do Pará and The Guardian
. Da Silva murder brought comparisons with the killings of environmentalist Chico Mendes
in 1988 and American
nun
Dorothy Stang
in 2005.
Two other environmental activist were also killed soon after Da Silva - Eremilton Pereira dos Santos, a farmer who was killed in the same area of Pará, and Adelino Ramos, a farmer and leader of the Corumbiara Peasant Movement in Rondonia
, who was shot while selling vegetables on May 27, 2011. The Brazilian government pledged to protect Amazonian activists in an emergency cabinet meeting held on May 31, 2011, to deal with the crisis.
Da Silva was survived by his adopted sixteen year old son and two children from a previous marriage.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian conservationist
Conservationist
Conservationists are proponents or advocates of conservation. They advocate for the protection of all the species in an ecosystem with a strong focus on the natural environment...
and environmentalist
Environmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
who campaigned against logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
and clearcutting
Clearcutting
Clearcutting, or clearfelling, is a controversial forestry/logging practice in which most or all trees in an area are uniformly cut down. Clearcutting, along with shelterwood and seed tree harvests, is used by foresters to create certain types of forest ecosystems and to promote select species that...
of trees in the Amazon rainforest
Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
.
Ribeiro da Silva, who was also known by the nickname Zé Cláudio, campaigned against illegal logging
Illegal logging
Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission or from a protected area; the cutting of protected species; or the...
, deforestation
Deforestation
Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....
and ranchers. He originally worked as a community leader at a forest reserve that produced sustainable rainforest products, such as oils and nuts. He became an anti-logging activist as illegal logger began to encroach further into untouched areas of Pará, his largely forested homestate in northern Brazil. He and his wife, Maria do Espírito Santo, had received death threat
Death threat
A death threat is a threat of death, often made anonymously, by one person or a group of people to kill another person or groups of people. These threats are usually designed to intimidate victims in order to manipulate their behavior, thus a death threat is a form of coercion...
s for his activism in favor of the preservation of Brazil's rainforest. In 2008, a report issued by a group of Brazilian human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
groups listed Ribeiro da Silva one of a dozen activists based in the Amazon to be "considered at risk" of harm or assassination by opponents.
In November 2010, da Silva was invited to speak at TED conference
TED (conference)
TED is a global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate "ideas worth spreading"....
. He told the TED audience that his particular region of Pará once had 85% coverage of native Amazonian plants. However, since the arrival of loggers, the region's plant biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
had shrunk to just 20% native Amazonian plant life. De Silva also acknowledged the death threats that he had received, "I will protect the forest at all costs. That is why I could get a bullet in my head at any moment — because I denounce the loggers and charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
producers."
José Cláudio Ribeiro da Silva, aged 52, and his wife, Maria do Espírito Santo, aged 51, were shot and killed in an ambush attack on May 24, 2011. The attack occurred ata settlement called Maçaranduba 2, which is located near their home in Nova Ipixuna
Nova Ipixuna
Nova Ipixuna is a town and municipality in the state of Pará in the Northern region of Brazil.-References:...
, Pará
Pará
Pará is a state in the north of Brazil. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Roraima. To the northwest it also borders Guyana and Suriname, and to the northeast it borders the Atlantic Ocean. The capital is Belém.Pará is the most populous state...
. José Cláudio Ribeiro da Silva had been refused police protection by local authorities, according to reports by the Diário do Pará and The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
. Da Silva murder brought comparisons with the killings of environmentalist Chico Mendes
Chico Mendes
Francisco Alves Mendes Filho, better known as Chico Mendes , was a Brazilian rubber tapper, trade union leader and environmentalist. He fought to preserve the Amazon rainforest, and advocated for the human rights of Brazilian peasants and indigenous peoples...
in 1988 and American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
Dorothy Stang
Dorothy Stang
Sister Dorothy Mae Stang, S.N.D., was an American-born, Brazilian member of the Congregation of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. She was murdered in Anapu, a city in the state of Pará, in the Amazon Basin of Brazil...
in 2005.
Two other environmental activist were also killed soon after Da Silva - Eremilton Pereira dos Santos, a farmer who was killed in the same area of Pará, and Adelino Ramos, a farmer and leader of the Corumbiara Peasant Movement in Rondonia
Rondônia
Rondônia is a state in Brazil, located in the north-western part of the country. To the west is a short border with the state of Acre, to the north is the state of Amazonas, in the east is Mato Grosso, and in the south is Bolivia. Its capital is Porto Velho. The state was named after Candido Rondon...
, who was shot while selling vegetables on May 27, 2011. The Brazilian government pledged to protect Amazonian activists in an emergency cabinet meeting held on May 31, 2011, to deal with the crisis.
Da Silva was survived by his adopted sixteen year old son and two children from a previous marriage.