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The amazon rain forest is one of the most wonderful places on Earth-the biggest, oldest, and richest in the world. It covers an area that is almost as big as Australia. It is home to millions of different kinds of animals, plants, and birds. Most of the world’s fresh water is here, and the forest plants clean the Earth’s air every day. It is very hot, wet, and dark. For man’s future, the rainforest is probably the most important area in the world.

Chico Mendez was born near the amazon town of Xapuri, Brazil, in 1944.

There were no schools in the rain forest, and Chico started working at the age of nine. Like the rest of this family, the young boy earned money by taking small amounts of rubber from the forest’s trees. The rubber was then sold to local factories. This is an old styleof farming. The trees are not hurt when you take rubber from them. In this way, the forest and its people lived together comfortably.

As a young boy, Chico did not think about the world outside of his town, his family, and his work. But as he grew, he learned more and more about the rain forest. He learned how to use forest plants as medicines and for food. Like forest people for thousands ofyears before him, he understood that man must use the rain forest carefully and thoughtfully.

But people are often too selfish to think about the future. While Chico grew up, large areas of the rain forest were destroyed by greedy businesses. Near Xapuri, thousands of trees were burned to make new fields for modern farms. But without the forest, the land soon became dry and poor.

Food andgrass for the animals stopped growing in the new fields after only a few years. So the farmers cleared more trees for fields, and the problem became more serious.

In other parts of the Amazon, the forest was burned to build roads and electricity stations. Many businesses cut down thousands of trees and sold the wood cheaply for furniture and paper. The rain forest is more than 180 million yearsold.

When it is cut down, it will not simply grow back. It is gone forever.

Chico felt very angry toward the rain forest was important and he wanted to save it. But Chico was just a poor rubber farmer. When h spoke to the businessmen, they did not listen. Money was too important to them. So Chico spoke to local politicians. But they were only interested in power. Chico was not important. Hewanted people to listen, so he had to think of another way.

Chico started talking to ordinary people about the rain forest. He discovered that hundreds of people agreed with his ideas. His hope grew. “Many voices are more powerful than one, “he thought. But the rich businessmen still did not listen. These powerful people, and greedy politicians, did everything possible to stop Chico’s fight.Chico made many enemies in Xapuri at this time, and his life became more dangerous. But, like great men before him, Chico wanted to fight peacefully-With words, not with guns or knives. He knew that he had to change people’s ideas.

Chico spoke to more and more people in the Xapuri area. He asked them about their work, and about the farms and businesses in their towns. Soon Chico knew aboutbusiness and farming plants before they happened. So when big farmers or businessmen wanted to clear a new area of forest, Chico organized group meeting on that land. Soon hundreds of people came together in this w__ and stopped the work of the forest clearers. Large areas of were saved But Chico’s work meant that poor people- factory workers, truck drivers, and farm workers- were losing their jobs.Chico knew that the needed to find new jobs for these people. They needed jobs that did not destroy the rain forest. Then he had an idea that worked: People must stop cutting or burning the forest, but they could take forest fruit, plants for medicines, and rubber. People will look after the forest if they earn money from it. And they need a healthy forest to earn money now and for the future.

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