The narrow, twisting channels radiating from Brazil’s Trombetas River belie the enormous quantities of water that flow through them, sustaining numerous lakes around which long-standing communities of river dwellers, called ribeirinhos, are scattered. Guiding visitors along one of these channels in a small boat, inhabitants from the Pará state village of Acari point out erosion damage done to some of the banks. The cause is the passage of bulky vessels carrying timber from woodlands leased by the Brazilian government to two timber companies in Saracá-Taquera National Forest. The forest, a conservation area, is occupied by hundreds of ribeirinhos and also by descendants of runaway slaves living in remote communities known as quilombos. Since the villagers complained about the erosion, the timber companies—Ebata... [Log in to read more]