
Ricardo Rozzi (born October 6, 1960, in Santiago) is a
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...
an
ecologist
Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...
and
philosopher who is professor at the
University of North Texas
The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 years later."Denton Normal Schoo ...
and the
Universidad de Magallanes
University of Magallanes (UMAG) is a university in the southern Chilean city of Punta Arenas. It is a public state university and it is part of the Chilean Traditional Universities. The University of Magallanes was established in 1981 during the ...
(UMAG). His research combines both disciplines through the study of the interrelations between the ways of knowing and inhabiting the natural world, proposing a dynamic continuous reciprocal feedback between both domains.
Conservation and applied environmental philosophy

In addition to his theoretical work, Rozzi has collaborated with the
Chilean Ministry of Education, the Latin American Ecology Schoolyard Program, and has participated in the creation of th
"Senda Darwin"Biological Station (
Chiloé Island
Chiloé Island ( es, Isla de Chiloé, , ) also known as Greater Island of Chiloé (''Isla Grande de Chiloé''), is the largest island of the Chiloé Archipelago off the west coast of Chile, in the Pacific Ocean. The island is located in southern ...
, Chile), the Latin American Network of Ethnobotanical Parks, the
Omora Ethnobotanical Park (
Puerto Williams
Puerto Williams (; Spanish for "Port Williams") is the city, port and naval base on Navarino Island in Chile. It faces the Beagle Channel. It is the capital of the Chilean Antarctic Province, one of four provinces in the Magellan and Chilean Ant ...
, Chile), and the
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. I ...
Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve at the southern end of the Americas, with the aim of incorporating environmental ethics in the practices of conservation and education in Latin America. Currently, he is the director of th
Subantarctic Biocultural Conservation Program coordinated by the
University of North Texas
The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 years later."Denton Normal Schoo ...
in the US, and by the
Universidad de Magallanes
University of Magallanes (UMAG) is a university in the southern Chilean city of Punta Arenas. It is a public state university and it is part of the Chilean Traditional Universities. The University of Magallanes was established in 1981 during the ...
and th
Institute of Ecology and Biodiversityin Chile. With these institutions, he co-directs a biocultural conservation and "field environmental philosophy" program working in collaboration with th
Center for Environmental Philosophy
Biocultural conservation

As the co-founder of the
Omora Ethnobotanical Park and the leader in the creation of the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve, his academic work has been strongly associated with application and includes a novel focus on "biocultural conservation" and the "linking of human well-being with the environment." Within this same line of inquiry, Rozzi coined the terms "biocultural ethics" and "field environmental philosophy" to denote his emphasis on applying philosophy to real life situations using direct encounter experiences to enrich both academic formation as well as inform social processes, such as decision-making and ecotourism. For example, based on the discovery of the outstanding diversity of mosses, lichens and liverworts (5% of the world's total) in the Magellanic sub-Antarctic ecoregion, Dr. Ricardo Rozzi and his colleagues has coined the term "
Tourism with a Hand Lens" to refer to a new speciality tourism being promoted in the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve. Rozzi has called upon tourism operators to place this narrative into their offering for the region and take advantage of this biodiversity hotspot for non-vascular flora. In turn, Rozzi and the Omora Ethnobotanical Park have metaphorically called these small plant communities the "Miniature Forests of Cape Horn" to help the broader society understand the ecological role played by these tiny, but diverse, abundant and important organisms.
Honors and awards

In a recent review of the impact of
Aldo Leopold
Aldo Leopold (January 11, 1887 – April 21, 1948) was an American writer, philosopher, naturalist, scientist, ecologist, forester, conservationist, and environmentalist. He was a professor at the University of Wisconsin and is best known for his ...
's ''The Land Ethic'', his son Carl Leopold termed Rozzi's work "ecological ethics", placing it on its own branch in the "tree-like" genealogy he conceived as the legacy of his father's seminal conservation and environmental philosophy work.
As a prolific writer, Rozzi's academic productivity includes dozens of articles, translations, chapters, and books on multiple topics that range from
ethnoornithology Ethnoornithology (also ethno-ornithology) is the study of the relationship between people and birds (from " ethno-" - relating to people and culture - and "ornithology" - the study of birds). It is a branch of ethnozoology and so of the wider field ...
to environmental education and philosophy to conservation. Perhaps his most important influential work is the only Latin American textbook on conservation biology called ''Fundamentos de Conservación Biológica: Perspectivas Latinoamericanas''.
For his achievements in academia and his broader impact in society, Rozzi has received numerous regional, national and international honors, including:
*2022 Premio Luis Oyarzún, for outstanding contribution to the arts, sciences, and humanities, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
*2021 Fellow Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, München, Germany
*2020 Strait of Magellan Award for Innovation and Exploration with Global Impact, in the Magallanes Category, for "Ecotourism with and Hand Lens" and Cape Horn Natural Laboratory initiatives, given by the Imagine Chile Foundation.
*2019 Eugene P. Odum Award for Excellence in Ecology Education, given by the Ecological Society of America, United States.
*2014 College of Arts and Sciences Award for Research Excellence given by the University of North Texas, United States.
*2010 Raanan Weitz Projects' Competition 2010, given by the Weitz Center for Developmental Studies, Rehovot, Israel
*2009 "Citation for Distinguished Service to International Education" given by the
University of North Texas
The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 years later."Denton Normal Schoo ...
, United States.
*2008 "Premio Convivencia Sustentable (Sustainable Living Award)" given by the Fundación Casa de la Paz, Santiago,
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...
(Peace House Foundatio
*2008 Science and Practice of Ecology and Society Award, given by the Resilience Allianc
*2006 "Gold Medal" and Illustrious Citizen of the City of
Padua
Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of t ...
, Italy.
*2004
BBVA
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (), better known by its initialism BBVA, is a Spanish multinational financial services company based in Madrid and Bilbao, Spain. It is one of the largest financial institutions in the world, and is present ...
Foundation Prize for Research in Conservation (in association with other scientists at the Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity), Spain.
*2004 Chilean National Award for Scientific Communication
CONICYT-Explora
*1996–1998 U.S.
Fulbright Scholar
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people o ...
In 2010, Rozzi's conservation work was also featured in a book by religion and nature scholar
Bron Taylor
Bron Raymond Taylor (born 15 April 1955) is an American scholar and conservationist. He is professor of religion and nature at the University of Florida and has also been an affiliated scholar with the Center for Environment and Development at the ...
exploring, among other things, the fusion of conservation science with nature spirituality, an integration that is illustrated in his written and audiovisual works.
[Ricardo Rozzi et al. 2010. ''Multi-ethnic Bird Guide of the Subantarctic Forests of South America''. University of North Texas Press & Ediciones Universidad de Magallanes. http://muse.jhu.edu/books/9781574413458]
See also
*
Ethnoornithology Ethnoornithology (also ethno-ornithology) is the study of the relationship between people and birds (from " ethno-" - relating to people and culture - and "ornithology" - the study of birds). It is a branch of ethnozoology and so of the wider field ...
*
List of environmental philosophers
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
*
Spiritual ecology
Spiritual ecology is an emerging field in religion, conservation, and academia recognizing that there is a spiritual facet to all issues related to conservation, environmentalism, and earth stewardship. Proponents of Spiritual Ecology assert a ne ...
References
External links
Omora Biocultural Conservation Approach: Ecology & Society 2006 Field environmental philosophy and biocultural conservation at the Omora Ethnobotanical Park: Methodological approaches to broaden the ways of integrating the social component(“S”) in Long-Term Socio-Ecological Research (LTSER) Sites Entrevista Programa EXPLORA-CONICYT Chile Octubre 2013
''Videos''
Ecotoruism with a Hand-Lens: ''The Invisible Journey'' by Jaime SepulvedaField Environmental Philosophy (Filosofia Ambiental de Campo): ''El Retorno a la Madriguera'' (''The Return to the Den'') by Jaime Sepulveda''Bird Nature - Native Forest'' - Ricardo Rozzi by Olaf Pena Pastene ''Belleza de Pensar'' Cristian Warnken, Lorenzo Aillapán y Ricardo Rozzi''Naturaleza Pajaro, Bosque Nativo'' - Lorenzo Aillapan by Olaf Pena Pastene''Omora Park: Natural Laboratory'' - TVN - CONICYT - Cábala Producciones''Chilean Natural Laboratories: Omora Park'' - TVN - CONICYT - Cábala Producciones''TV UMAG Hombre Pajaro'' Lorenzo Aillapán y Ricardo Rozzi''La Medida de Omora'' by Claudia Esslinger''Filosofia Ambiental de Campo'' by Jorge Grez''Cristian Wrnken en el Parque Omora'' by Jorge Grez''La Medida de Omora y Los Cabos de Hornos'' by Claudia EsslingerEfecto Picaflor sinopsis''TV UMAG'' Ecotourism with a Hand Lens - Ecoturismo con Lupa''TV UMAG'' Omora LA BIODIVERSIDAD''TV UMAG'' Omora VALOR INTRINSECO''TV UMAG'' Omora VALOR INSTRUMENTAL''TV UMAG'' Omora Turismo sustentable Parque Cabo de Hornos''TV UMAG'' Omora Guia Multi Etnica de Aves Subantarticas
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rozzi, Ricardo
1960 births
Living people
Chilean biologists
Chilean people of Italian descent
Chilean philosophers
Environmental ethicists
People from Santiago