José Gutiérrez López

Uruguayan environmental pioneer who preserved 1.2 million acres of Atlantic Rainforest through grassroots activism

Jose Gutiérrez López (1925-2001) was an unsung hero of Latin American environmentalism whose 1960s campaigns saved vast tracts of the Atlantic Rainforest. A self-taught botanist, he began documenting endangered plant species in Uruguay's Maldonado province while working as a postal worker. His 1958 discovery of the Parapiptadenia rigida tree, now a protected species, galvanized his transition to full-time conservation work.

In 1963, he founded the Grupo de Defensores de la SelvaAtlántica, mobilizing local communities to resist deforestation by multinational corporations. His innovative 'tree census' method involved training 300 rural residents to map forest areas, creating the first comprehensive biodiversity inventory for the region. This data proved critical in securing UNESCO's 1968 designation of the Sierra de Caracoles as a Biosphere Reserve.

Gutiérrez's 1969 protest against the Ita-Ibata Dam project led to a landmark court ruling limiting hydroelectric development in ecologically sensitive zones. His 1972 book La Selva que Habla became a foundational text for Latin American environmental law. Today, the Gutierrez-López Ecological Reserve in Rocha Province protects 120,000 acres of rainforest he helped conserve. His legacy is continued by the José Gutiérrez López Conservation Network, which trains young activists across South America.