José Márcio Ayres
2002 Laureate, Environment
Brazil, 1954-2003
"Thousands of people are benefiting today from the dream of one man who gave himself the means of making it come true."
Brazilian environmentalist José Márcio Ayres, who died in March 2003, devoted his life to the challenge of combining protection of the Amazon forest with improving the living conditions of its native people. Now the team of people who succeeded the 2002 Rolex Awards Laureate is keeping alive his passionate commitment to the Amazon by expanding his work.
2,600
initial size, in square kilometres, of the sustainable development reserve Ayres established
57,600
size, in square kilometres, of the expanded protected corridor of tropical rainforest, the most extensive in the world
12,500
people living in reserves
4,000
visitors who have come to Mamirauá, most from the United States and Europe
