In December 1988, the Brazilian environmental activist, Chico Mendes, was shot dead by cattle ranchers angered by his efforts to stop them exploiting land in the Amazon jungle.

The 44-year-old Mendes, leader of the local rubber tappers union, had become a powerful symbol of the struggle to save the rainforest.

His murder sparked outrage and renewed interest in environmental issues worldwide.

Anthropologist Mary Allegretti, a close friend of Mendes, remembers the early days of the struggle to protect the Amazon.

Witness History: The stories of our times told by the people who were there.