Obituary
Carlos Walter Porto-Gonçalves (1949 – Florianópolis, September 6, 2023) was a Brazilian human geographer adept at environmentalism. Author of books on social geography. As a professor, he received various awards in Latin America during his career in the defense of Political and Social Geography, highlighting the one awarded by EGAL in 2019.
Biography
In 1972 he completed his degree in Geography from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and from the same university he completed his master’s and doctorate, respectively in 1985 and 1998. Porto-Gonçalves was a fighting partner of the mythical Amazonian defense leader Chico Mendes, who would be signed by his fighter. Furthermore, was president of the Association of Brazilian Geographers from 1998 to 2000. He supported and participated in the so-called “draws”, fighting pickets formed by rubber farming families that prevented the destruction of forests by farmers. He also supported the creation of so-called Extractive Reserves (RESEXs).
He became a full professor at the Fluminense Federal University (UFF), a role in which he served between 1987 and 2019, when he retired; Still at this institution, he was also a member of the Postgraduate Program in Geography. He participated in the formation of the Workers’ Party and throughout his life maintained intense political and social activity.´
In 2001 he published one of his book most important “Amazon, Amazons”. In it, Carlos Walter highlights the protagonists who fought against the destruction of the forest and shows that there is not just one “Amazon”, but several “Amazonias”. The publication was carried out through his 22 years of research on the region, criticizes capitalist expansion in the region and its disastrous consequences.
