Basilio Vieira

A Brazilian rubber tapper and environmental pioneer who inspired the global rainforest conservation movement.

Basilio Vieira (1920–1991) was an unsung hero of the Amazon rainforest, whose grassroots activism birthed the extractive reserves concept now central to environmental policy. Born in Acre, Brazil, he worked as a rubber tapper (seringueiro) and witnessed deforestation's devastation. In the 1970s, he organized local communities to resist cattle ranchers and loggers through nonviolent protests, coining the slogan "The forest is our home".

Vieira's 1978 Rubber Tappers' March drew international attention, leading to partnerships with scientists like Chico Mendes. His idea of "eco-extraction"—sustainable harvesting of forest resources—was later institutionalized by Brazil's government. Though overshadowed by Mendes' fame, Vieira's writings like Amazonian Survival: The Seringueiro's Struggle remain foundational texts in environmental justice studies.

His legacy lives on through the Basilio Vieira Amazon Museum, which documents indigenous and rubber tapper cultures. The United Nations cited his work as a precursor to modern "green economy" models in 2015.