Elza Machado

Brazilian environmentalist who pioneered tropical rainforest conservation in the Amazon basin

Elza Machado (1912-1968) was a visionary ecologist from Brazil whose work revolutionized tropical conservation. Born in Manaus to a rubber tapper family, she witnessed the devastation of rubber boom deforestation. After studying botany in Rio de Janeiro, she returned to the Amazon in 1935 to document plant biodiversity, creating the first comprehensive flora inventory of the region.

In 1947 she founded the Amazonia Viva conservation group, successfully blocking a proposed hydroelectric project that would have flooded 12,000 km² of rainforest. Her 1953 report Rivers of Life, Rivers of Death exposed mercury contamination from gold mining, leading to Brazil's first environmental protection laws in 1955. Elza's 1960 groundbreaking study proved rainforests' role in global climate regulation, influencing later UN environmental policies.

Despite assassination attempts by logging interests, she established the Selva Viva eco-tourism model in 1965, balancing conservation with sustainable livelihoods. Her memoir My Amazon, My Life (1967) remains required reading for environmental science students. Google honored her with a doodle in 2021, recognizing her as 'Amazon's first environmental warrior.'