Raul Montenegro

Raul Montenegro received the Right Livelihood Award in 2004 “for his outstanding work with local communities and indigenous people to protect the environment and natural resources.” Since 1985 he has been Professor of Evolutionary Biology at the National University of Cordoba. In 1982 he was the principal founder of FUNAM (Environment Defence Foundation), and has been its President since 1995.
Since 1980 Raul has been involved, normally in an initiating role, in an astonishing range and number of environmental activities, which include anti-nuclear campaigns, the establishment of six national parks or nature reserves, numerous campaigns against toxic waste, pollution by chemicals, deforestation, dams, logging and mining companies, and in favour of the protection of the endangered ecosystem. He has been very active in environmental legislation and education, both nationally and internationally.
In addition to all this he has had a full academic life, publishing in journals and keeping abreast of (and sometimes contributing to) advances in ecological science, which he then tries to implement. In all his activities Raul combines an expert use of science with community-based campaigning, and an ability to generate enormous media coverage.