Adolphe Tonduz as a botanist and conservationist

Abstract

This article analyzes the career of Adolphe Tonduz (1862–1921) as a key figure in botany and early conservation awareness in Costa Rica. Through a detailed historical review, it examines his training in Switzerland, his arrival in the country at the end of the 19th century, and his central role at the Physical-Geographical Institute, where he led the collection and inventory of flora. Tonduz carried out systematic and rigorous work that allowed him to document nearly 20,000 specimens and consolidate the National Herbarium, providing a lasting scientific foundation for understanding Costa Rican biodiversity. The text also highlights the institutional tensions and limited recognition he faced as a collector, as well as his intellectual response through the publication of Herborizations in Costa Rica. Beyond his taxonomic contributions, the study underscores the value of his landscape observations and his early critique of deforestation associated with agricultural expansion and transportation infrastructure. Overall, the article vindicates Tonduz not only as a botanist, but as a precursor of the conservationist perspective that underpins the country's environmental management today.