Ep. 2: The Man and the Forest

11/25/21 • 28 min

In the second episode, hosts Graham and Jim explore the origin story of Chico Mendes. They explore the past of the rubber trade in the Amazon, the rubber tappers' relationship with the forest, and their plight.

More about the show:

In the second season of Wildfire, we’re shifting our perspective from fires in the forests of the American west to those taking place in the Amazon rainforest alongside a story of violence and heroism.

On December 22nd 1988 in the town of Xapuri, Brazil a man named Chico Mendes was shot and killed at his home. He was killed for trying to protect the rainforest from the fires that were burning at an increasing rate; fires that were turning one of the most complex ecosystems in the world into cow pastures.

In this season of Wildfire, hosts Jim Aikman and Graham Zimmerman look into the story of Chico Mendes—who he was, what he was fighting for, and how his legacy lives on. It's a story filled with intrigue and violence but also hope, both for the Amazon and for humankind.

This 6-part series is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Episode sources:

Hecht, Susanna, and Alexander Cockburn. The Fate of the Forest: Developers, Destroyers, and Defenders of the Amazon. University of Chicago Press, 2010.
Revkin, Andrew. The Burning Season: the Murder of Chico Mendes and the Fight for the Amazon Rain Forest. Island Press, 2004.
Rodrigues, Gomercindo, et al. Walking the Forest with Chico Mendes: Struggle for Justice in the Amazon. University of Texas Press, 2007.
Mendes, Chico, et al. Fight for the Forest: Chico Mendes in his Own Words. Latin America Bureau (Research and Action) Ltd, 1989.
Mann, Charles C. 1491 (Second Edition): New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus. 2nd ed., Random House LLC, 2005.
Shoumatoff, Alex. “Murder in the Rainforest.” Vanity Fair, 1989.
“Making a Difference : Chico Mendes . . .” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 1989, www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-01-22-op-1186-story.html.
Mendes, Francisco. “Antihero.” Spin, September 1989, page 76-78.

More about the show:

This 6-part series is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Episode sources:

Hecht, Susanna, and Alexander Cockburn. The Fate of the Forest: Developers, Destroyers, and Defenders of the Amazon. University of Chicago Press, 2010.
Revkin, Andrew. The Burning Season: the Murder of Chico Mendes and the Fight for the Amazon Rain Forest. Island Press, 2004.
Rodrigues, Gomercindo, et al. Walking the Forest with Chico Mendes: Struggle for Justice in the Amazon. University of Texas Press, 2007.
Mendes, Chico, et al. Fight for the Forest: Chico Mendes in his Own Words. Latin America Bureau (Research and Action) Ltd, 1989.
Mann, Charles C. 1491 (Second Edition): New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus. 2nd ed., Random House LLC, 2005.
Shoumatoff, Alex. “Murder in the Rainforest.” Vanity Fair, 1989.
“Making a Difference : Chico Mendes . . .” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 1989, www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-01-22-op-1186-story.html.
Mendes, Francisco. “Antihero.” Spin, September 1989, page 76-78.

Previous Episode

Ep. 1: A Murder and a Fire

In December 1988, Brazilian environmentalist Chico Mendes was murdered at his home in the Amazon Rainforest. Chico was a rubber tapper who witnessed the destruction of the forest—of his home—and built a community both in Brazil and abroad to stop the devastation. For this, he was killed in cold blood.
In episode one, hosts Graham Zimmerman and Jim Aikman set off to better understand the Brazilian Amazon. They explore both the politics and biology of one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. They also learn about the history of the conflict in the Brazilian Amazon and why someone like Chico Mendes risked his life to safe it.

Episode sources:

Hecht, Susanna, and Alexander Cockburn. The Fate of the Forest: Developers, Destroyers, and Defenders of the Amazon. University of Chicago Press, 2010.
Revkin, Andrew. The Burning Season: the Murder of Chico Mendes and the Fight for the Amazon Rain Forest. Island Press, 2004.
Pyne, Stephen J. Fire in America. Univ. of Washington Press, 1997.
“I. Foster Brown.” Woodwell Climate, 2 Dec. 2020, www.woodwellclimate.org/staff/foster-brown/
Shoumatoff, Alex. “Murder in the Rainforest.” Vanity Fair, 1989.
Rodrigues, Gomercindo, et al. Walking the Forest with Chico Mendes: Struggle for Justice in the Amazon. University of Texas Press, 2007.
Rabie, Passant. “NASA Satellites Confirm Amazon Rainforest Is Burning at a Record Rate.”
Space.com, Space, 27 Aug. 2019, www.space.com/amazon-rainforest-fires-2019-nasa-satellite-views.html#:~:targetText=Firedetections by NASA's Moderate,over the world since 2003.
Hoover, K., & Hanson, L. A. (2021, January 4). Retrieved January 28, 2021, from https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/IF10244.pdf
Pasquali, Marina. “Number of Wildfires in Brazil 2020.” Statista, 14 Sept. 2020, www.statista.com/statistics/1041354/number-wildfires-brazil/.
Templeton, Amelia. “Eagle Creek Fire Perpetrator Ordered To Pay $36.6 Million.” Opb, OPB, 2 June 2020, www.opb.org/news/article/eagle-creek-fire-wildfire-restitution-oregon-columbia-river-gorge/.
Kloster, Tom. “After the Fire: A Closer Look (Part 2 of 2).” WyEast Blog, 28 Feb. 2018, wyeastblog.org/2018/02/27/after-the-fire-a-closer-look-part-2-of-2/.
Borger, Julian, and Jonathan Watts. “G7 Leaders Agree Plan to Help Amazon Countries Fight Wildfires.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 26 Aug. 2019, www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/26/g7-leaders-agree-plan-to-help-amazon-countries-fight-wildfires.
“Amazon Fires: Crisis Mobilization Update.” Rainforest Alliance, Rainforest Alliance, 8 Nov. 2019, www.rainforest-alliance.org/articles/an-update-on-our-crisis-response-to-the-amazon-fires.
“It's Okay to Be Smart.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 24 Oct. 2018, www.pbs.org/video/the-largest-river-on-earth-is-in-the-sky-ayxiyl/.
Surui, Almir Narayamoga, et al. Save the Planet: An Amazonian Tribal Leader Fights for His People, The Rainforest, and the Earth. Editions Albin Michel, 2015.
Mendes, Chico, et al. Fight for the Forest: Chico Mendes in his Own Words. Latin America Bureau (Research and Action) Ltd, 1989.
“Making a Difference : Chico Mendes . . .” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 1989, www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-01-22-op-1186-story.html.

Next Episode

Ep.3: Good Guys and Bad Guys

Chico begins organizing against deforestation and starts a war with the local ranching community. The hosts see first hand what the burning looks like on the ground and learn more about the “good guys” and “bad guys” in the complex conflict between rubber tappers and ranchers, as well as the individuals and groups opposed to Chico before his murder. Finally, Chico is put into a leadership role in 1980.

Sources:

Hecht, Susanna, and Alexander Cockburn. The Fate of the Forest: Developers, Destroyers, and Defenders of the Amazon. University of Chicago Press, 2010.
Revkin, Andrew. The Burning Season: the Murder of Chico Mendes and the Fight for the Amazon Rain Forest. Island Press, 2004.
Rodrigues, Gomercindo, et al. Walking the Forest with Chico Mendes: Struggle for Justice in the Amazon. University of Texas Press, 2007.
Mendes, Chico, et al. Fight for the Forest: Chico Mendes in his Own Words. Latin America Bureau (Research and Action) Ltd, 1989.
Mann, Charles C. 1491 (Second Edition): New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus. 2nd ed., Random House LLC, 2005.
Shoumatoff, Alex. “Murder in the Rainforest.” Vanity Fair, 1989.
Mendes, Francisco. “Antihero.” Spin, September 1989, page 76-78.
Brown, Foster. “Morte Entre Muitas.” Jornal A Gazeta, February 2020.