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In December 1988 the Brazilian environmental activist, Chico Mendes, was shot dead by cattle ranchers angered by his efforts to stop them exploiting land in the Amazon jungle. The 44-year-old Mendes, leader of the local rubber tappers union, had become a powerful symbol of the struggle to save the Amazon. His murder sparked outrage and renewed interest in environmental issues worldwide. Anthropologist Mary Allegretti, a close friend of Mendes, recalls the early days of the struggle to protect the rain forest.

(Photo: Denise Zmekhol/ZDFILMS)