Charles Waterton (1782-1865) was an English naturalist, plantation overseer and explorer best known for his pioneering work regarding conservation. Waterton was a British Catholic, educated at Stonyhurst College. He traveled to British Guiana in 1804 to take charge of his uncle’s slave plantations near Georgetown. Between 1812 and 1824 he made four expeditions into the wilderness, reaching Brazil walking barefooted during the rainy season. His discoveries are described in his book, “Wanderings in South America.” He was a skilled taxidermist and preserved many of the animals he encountered on his expeditions, and the Waterton Collection is still displayed in a museum.
