The article shows that José Bonifácio's concerns about the destructive use of natural resources, particularly forests, represent a basic and recurring issue in his political thought. His writings, produced between 1790 and 1823, reveal his permanent commitment to the 18th century European scientific school known as "Economy of Nature". This school is considered one of the major links that contributed to the later formation of "ecology". A deep reform regarding the use of nature in Brazil, overcoming the predatory exploitation inherited from colonialism, was one of the main aspects of Bonifácio's national project which contained precise indications of public policies necessary to reach this goal. His most important contribution was to show the existence of a causal relationship between slavery and environment destruction.
Brazil; José Bonifácio; Environmental history; Conservation; Environmental politics