José Cláudio Ribeiro da Silva

Who is José Cláudio Ribeiro da Silva?

José Cláudio Ribeiro da Silva was a Brazilian conservationist and environmentalist who campaigned against logging and clearcutting of trees in the Amazon rainforest.

Ribeiro da Silva, who was also known by the nickname Zé Cláudio, campaigned against illegal logging, deforestation and ranchers. He originally worked as a community leader at a forest reserve that produced sustainable rainforest products, such as oils and nuts. He became an anti-logging activist as illegal logger began to encroach further into untouched areas of Pará, his largely forested homestate in northern Brazil. He and his wife, Maria do Espírito Santo, had received death threats for his activism in favor of the preservation of Brazil's rainforest. In 2008, a report issued by a group of Brazilian human rights groups listed Ribeiro da Silva one of a dozen activists based in the Amazon to be "considered at risk" of harm or assassination by opponents.

In November 2010, da Silva was invited to speak at TED conference. He told the TED audience that his particular region of Pará once had 85% coverage of native Amazonian plants.