Renzo Videsott (10 September 1904 – 4 January 1974) was an Italian alpinist and conservationist.
Biography
Videsott was born in Trento, which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. After completing his studies of veterinary medicine, he became university lecturer, professor and department head at the University of Turin. In 1929, he accomplished a legendary ascent of the Busazza in the Civetta group of the Dolomites together with a climbing companion.Luigi Piccioni (2013), VIDESOTT Renzo (1904–1974) (in French), Histoire de la protection de la nature et de l´environnement. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
During the Second World War he was a member of the clandestine organization Giustizia e Libertà and carried out unarmed missions for the Italian resistance movement. At the same time, he committed himself to the protection of endangered animals, in particular the Alpine ibex (Capra ibex).Cecilia Videsott and Elena Videsott (2006), The Journal of Renzo Videsott: The “Historical Archives” Of Nature Protection in Italy in the Period 1944–1953, in: Dan Gafta and John Akeroyd (Eds.), Nature Conservation. Concepts and Practice, Springer, Berlin-Heidelberg, , pp. 46–50.Luigi Piccioni (2013), Renzo Videsott, de l’appel romantique de la montagne sauvage à la promotion des parcs nationaux (in French), University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
From 1945 to 1969 he was director of the Gran Paradiso National Park.Renzo Videsott (biography on a site dedicated to his memory, in Italian). Retrieved May 9, 2014. The park is located at the border to France and shares a boundary with the French Vanoise National Park; the two parks co-operate in managing the ibex population.History Gran Paradiso National Park. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
In 1948, he founded the Italian conservation organization Movimento Italiano per la Protezione della Natura (MIPN; today: Federazione nazionale Pro Natura) and was involved in the establishment of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).Giorgio Osti (2007), Nature Protection Organizations in Italy: From Elitist Fervour to Confluence with Environmentalism, in: C.S.A. (Kris) van Koppen and William T. Markham (Eds.), Protecting Nature: Organizations and Networks in Europe and the USA, Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham, , pp. 117–139.The History. Italian environmentalism began in June of 1948. Federazione nazionale Pro Natura. Retrieved February 22, 2017. In addition, he represented Italy in the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps (CIPRA).Una tribuna per ricercatori – I gloriosi anni Cinquanta e Sessanta (in Italian), CIPRA. Retrieved May 9, 2014. He died in 1974 in Turin.
References
External links Site dedicated to the memory of Renzo Videsott