Bob Hughes Memorial: Support the Manuelzão Project in Brazil

Honoring a Life of Environmental Stewardship — Support the Manuelzão Project in Brazil

Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Robert “Bob” Hughes has dedicated his life to the scientific research and advocacy needed to protect rivers, streams, and the ecosystems that depend on them. As a respected aquatic ecologist with decades of fieldwork, policy advising, and academic contributions, Bob’s work has helped shape water quality standards and conservation efforts not only across the Americas, but around the world.

Bob has worked extensively across North and South America, Europe, and Asia—collaborating with international environmental agencies, academic institutions, and conservation groups. His numerous peer-reviewed publications have contributed to global understanding of freshwater biodiversity, bioassessment, and watershed health. He has served as a senior scientist for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, contributed to global freshwater monitoring initiatives, and taught university-level ecology and environmental assessment courses, mentoring a new generation of conservation scientists.

Now, as he reflects on a lifetime of environmental advocacy, Bob is asking that—in lieu of flowers or other forms of support—friends, family, and colleagues honor his legacy by supporting Manuelzão Projecto, a nonprofit organization in Brazil he has partnered with for over two decades.

The Manuelzão Project, based at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), is devoted to the protection and restoration of the Velhas River, one of the most ecologically significant waterways in southeastern Brazil. The project not only supports scientific research but also promotes environmental education, community involvement, and sustainable water management practices across the river basin.

All proceeds from this campaign will be donated directly to the Manuelzão Project to continue this vital work.

To learn more about the project: https://manuelzao.ufmg.br/sobre/

Thank you for supporting a cause that reflects the heart of Bob Hughes’s life’s work: preserving our planet’s rivers and the life they sustain