Jesús Garzón, founder, among others, of the Asociación Trashumancia y Naturaleza, a member of EWE, died on 23 December at the age of 77, after being unable to overcome a long illness.
Jesús was a reference for environmentalism in Spain and a pioneer in his commitment to the recovery of transhumance as a key tool in the fight against the loss of biodiversity and climate change. He worked tirelessly in defence of the maintenance of traditional pastoral systems both nationally and internationally, carrying out unique actions such as the annual passage of transhumance herds through the centre of Madrid, which would lead to the approval of the pioneering Law on Livestock Routes, or the organisation of the First World Shepherds' Congress in 2007.
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Thanks to his work in defence of nature, he contributed to the protection and survival in Spain of key species of Iberian fauna, carrying out not only actions in the field and writing scientific publications, but also in the field of politics and the founding of several organisations and associations. During his life he received multiple awards and recognitions such as the Jane Goodall Prize in 2010 or the BBVA Biodiversity Conservation Award in 2014.Â
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His wisdom, his tireless fight for the improvement of our planet, his generosity, solidarity and humanity, among other qualities, make all of us who were lucky enough to know him mourn his loss today, but we celebrate the path he has opened up for us to follow.