Chico Mendes and José Lutzenberger: Ecosystem Management at Multiple Scales of Government

Abstract

Chico Mendes and José Lutzenberger together orchestrate an incredibly enthusiastic polyphonic call of encouragement for the socio-environmentalist cause. They set examples of how much “the man of the forest” and “the man of the world” can accomplish in the local and the national levels and how their idealism can set examples throughout the world. It is argued that a culture based on principles of environmental ethics should be encouraged in all educational levels throughout the globe. And this has a series of implications such as: the abandonment of the current anthropocentric, egoistic, materialistic, consumerist way of living; the abandonment of absolute national sovereignty by governments in favor of a Global Environmental Governance; the unrelentingly combat of corruption at all levels of government in many countries, including Brazil. We are subject to the interests of powerful international enterprises and the surreptitious lawful techno-bureaucracy they impose on us. And the current tendency is that their influence will grow bigger and bigger as technological novelties are put into the market. To bring it to a stop and reverse it is not an easy task, but there are examples in history that changes can take place when people have firm belief in their cause. Chico Mendes and José Lutzenberger set examples that, regardless of one’s geography, or socioeconomic and political conditions, each and everyone’s contribution is precious. It is the collective effort from peasants to presidents that will provide the deep, necessary changes which will make the Earth Stewardship dream come true.