The leaders of in the Brazilian government have decided to pay out credits or currency for “eco-services,” or protecting the environment they live in. Marina Silva, the Environment Minister of Brazil has made this act a priority for the region in order to protect the “lungs of the earth.” Any farmers, ranchers, or woodsmen (all three are the main reasons for the destruction of the region) will receive these benefits for using small scale methods for doing their work. They are to be rewarded with public funds, special credits, and an increasing market that is interested in environmentally sustainable products. The goal is to promote methods that do less damage than the mechanical and chemical methods used by large scale businesses in the region. Rural workers have actually been interested in this for awhile but were never going to go ahead with it until the compensation could provide for family. Fortunately the government has acted on this and hopefully we will see a positive impact from it.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hhsx8MBbBewQVtc_HeZgu2RsLuoQ