Vera Mendes

A Brazilian environmentalist who pioneered rainforest conservation efforts in the Amazon basin during the 1950s.

Vera Mendes (1925–2001) was a trailblazing environmental scientist and activist in Brazil, known for her relentless advocacy to protect the Amazon rainforest. In the 1950s, she conducted groundbreaking research on deforestation impacts, publishing 《The Amazon's Silent Crisis》 (1958), one of the first scientific analyses of ecological degradation in the region. Her work led to the establishment of the Amazon Conservation Frontiers, a nonprofit that created protected zones for indigenous communities and biodiversity. Mendes also lobbied for Brazil’s 1965 Forest Code, which mandated sustainable land use. Despite facing opposition from logging interests, she trained hundreds of local activists through her Green Horizons initiative. Her efforts inspired the 1998 documentary 《The Amazon’s Guardian》 and are chronicled in 《Vera’s Legacy》 (2012), available on BritDoc.