The Stanford Law School, thanks to a gift from the late Ray Bright J.D. ’59 and in collaboration with the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, announced its inaugural recipient for the new Bright Award.

The award will be given annually to an “individual who has made significant contributions in the environmental preservation and sustainability area,” according to the award’s site. Winners receive $100,000 and give a public lecture on campus. Each year’s winner will be selected from 10 rotating regions with the inaugural recipient, Tasso Azevedo, from South America and next year’s winner from the North and Central America region.

Azevedo is a forestry manager and social-environmental entrepreneur whose work has helped reduce the rate of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest by 80 percent and cut down Brazil’s greenhouse gas emissions by 35 percent over the last 18 years.

“Tasso Azevedo’s innovative approach to forestry management represents what the Bright Award is all about,” said Mary Elizabeth Magill, dean of the Stanford Law School in a Stanford Report article. “His work in preventing deforestation continues to produce dramatic results in South America, and his eagerness to involve all parties in preservation efforts is an example for all who strive to protect our environment.”

Among his accolades, Azevedo has served as the first chief and director general of the Brazilian Forest Service and played a key role in designing and implementing Brazil’s Forest Stewardship Council.

As part of the award, Azevedo will come to Stanford to give a lecture at Paul Brest Hall on Dec. 10.