On Thursday, 16 April, at 12:00 PM, the bio-bibliographical exhibition “Felipe Benavides: peruano universal” (“Felipe Benavides: Universal Peruvian”) will open at the Inca Garcilaso Cultural Center of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The exhibition presents the extensive work of Felipe Benavides, a diplomat, and the most renowned environmentalist of the twentieth century in Peru, who dedicated his life to the defense of natural heritage. It describes his ambitious work since the 1950s and outlines his role in the creation of Parque de Las Leyendas, Reserva Nacional Pampa Galeras, Parque Nacional del Manu, Reserva Nacional de Paracas, and Reserva Nacional de Salinas y Aguada Blanca.

His leadership was notable in the development of the conservation movement, through international non-governmental organizations, as well as for several of his achievements, such as safeguarding wildlife, promoting legal provisions, denouncing acts of corruption, and fostering a collective awareness of ecology. The exhibition offers to the public a journey through the life of Felipe Benavides using documents, books, photographs, panels, brochures, letters, and medals. Free admission.

Dialogue

(“Felipe Benavides: Universal Peruvian”), the dialogue will be held on Thursday, 16 April, at 12:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Inca Garcilaso Cultural Center, featuring Arturo Alfaro, Juan Álvarez Vita, and Wilfredo Pérez Ruiz.

Arturo Alfaro is an ecologist, consultant, and lawyer specializing in environmental law. He heads the NGO VIDA—Institute for Environmental Protection—which has over three decades of experience in environmental conservation in Peru and abroad. He promotes national and international beach clean-up campaigns and encourages community and corporate volunteering in wildlife protection, reforestation, circular economy, and citizen participation campaigns.

Juan Álvarez Vita is an ambassador in the Peruvian Diplomatic Service, a linguist, and historian. He studied Law at the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos and the Pontificia Universidad Católica. He is a university professor of Constitutional Law and Public International Law in Peru and has also taught in Switzerland. He headed the Peruvian delegation to the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva. He is the author of a Dictionary of Peruvianness and has been awarded the Order of “El Sol del Perú”.

Wilfredo Pérez Ruiz studied Business Administration at IPAE. He also completed postgraduate studies in Political Science. He has contributed to the newspapers Expreso, El Comercio, La República, and El Peruano. He served as an advisor to the Senate Commission on Ecology (1985-1987) and was a member of the board of directors of the Frente Ecológico Peruano, the Asociación Pro-Defensa de la Naturaleza and the Sociedad Zoológica del Perú. He works as a consultant, trainer, and professor, and has published several books on ecology.

Free admission.