Carlos Muñoz Pizarro was a Chile

Chile

Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

an botanist born in the city of Coquimbo

Coquimbo

Coquimbo is a port city, commune and capital of the Elqui Province, located on the Pan-American Highway, in the Coquimbo Region of Chile. Coquimbo lies in a valley south of La Serena, with which it forms Greater La Serena with more than 400,000 inhabitants. The commune spans an area around the...

 and deceased on May 12, 1976 in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

. He was well known for his studies of the Chilean flora

Flora of Chile

The native flora of Chile is characterized by a higher degree of endemism and relatively fewer species compared to the flora of other countries of South America...

, its conservation and as university professor.

Early life and study

He developed an interest in natural sciences while studying agronomy at the University of Chile, from which he graduated in 1937. During 1939 and 1940 he studied plant taxonomy in the United States of America (USA), first at Harvard University

Harvard University

Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...

 and later at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. After his return to Chile, he returned to the USA in 1948 to study the Chilean plants kept in the Gray Herbarium of Harvard University

Harvard University Herbaria

The Harvard University Herbaria and Botanical Museum are institutions located on the grounds of Harvard University at 22 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts...

.

Teaching and advocacy

He was an active advocate of the conservation of renewable natural resources and the scenic beauty of Chile. As a university professor, he constantly encouraged the younger generations to join him in this endeavor. He promoted the creation of the first Forestry School at the University of Chile. He taught botany for almost 40 years in the Agronomy, Forestry, and Architecture Schools of the University of Chile.

Expeditions

Many expeditions throughout Chile allowed him to become familiar with the flora of Chile and turned him into a tireless disseminator of its peculiarities. He promoted the creation of a Network of National Parks and Forest Reserves in Chile and was one of the first Chilean botanists to draw attention to the threatened and endangered condition of numerous endemic species of the Chilean vascular flora. He also actively participated in creating the National Botanical Garden in the Region of Valparaiso (Chile). His enthusiasm for taxonomic studies was crucial for the complete refurbishing of the National Herbarium located at the National Museum of Natural History in Santiago (Chile)

National Museum of Natural History in Chile

The Chilean National Museum of Natural History is one of three national museums in Chile, along with the Museum of Fine Arts and the National History Museum. It is located in Quinta Normal.-History:...

, which he accomplished along with a significant increase in the number of herbarium specimens, contributed by him or by others. With his wife, Ruth Schick Carrasco, he created a collection of phototypes of the Chilean specimens in foreign herbaria. His passion for plant taxonomy was so great that he named his daughters after three grass genera: Mélica, Nassella, and Aira.

Offices and awards

He attended numerous conferences and scientific meetings. In 1940 he joined the Commission for the Protection of the Flora, Fauna, and Natural Scenic Beauty, which met in Washington (USA). That same year he was Vice President of the Biological Science Commission of the VIII American Scientific Congress held in the same city. In 1964 he was appointed Honorary Vice-Chairman of the X International Botanical Congress held in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was chairman of the Latin American Committee on National Parks (CLAPN) under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) based in Switzerland. In 1967 it was incorporated as a Number Member of the Academy of Sciences of the Institute of Chile. Many honors were bestowed upon him, but most notably was his appointment, in 1974, as Knight in the Most Excellent Order of the Golden Ark by his Royal Highness Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, for outstanding service in the cause of nature conservation.

Notable publications

His extensive research generated a considerable number of publications, mostly in Spanish, including the "Bibliographic Index of Chilean Grasses (1941), "Synopsis of the Chilean Flora" (1959 and 1966), "Plant Species described by R.A. Philippi in the XIX Century" (1960), "Wild Flowers of Chile" (1966), and "Chile: Endangered Plants Species" (1973).

Death

On May 12, 1976, while he was participating in the conference “Extinction is forever: threatened and endangered species of plants in the Americas and their significance in ecosystems today and in the future” at the New York Botanical Garden

New York Botanical Garden

- See also :* Education in New York City* List of botanical gardens in the United States* List of museums and cultural institutions in New York City- External links :* official website** blog*...

 in commemoration of the Bicentennial of the United States of America, a heart attack ended his life at age 63..

Miscellanea

He described 8 new species for the Chilean flora, and 4 plant species have been named in his honour: Valeriana munozii Borsini,Gamochaeta munnozii Cabr., Senecio munnozii Cabr., y Griselinia carlomunozii Dillon & Muñoz-Schick.