Deforestation is a plague that dilacerates the national Brazilian treasure that is the Amazon forest. In most forest areas, the deforestation is usually a result of poor farmers and cultivators. In the Amazon forest, however, most of the deforestation is a result of land clearing for pastureland by commercial and speculative interests, misguided government policies, inappropriate World Bank projects, and commercial exploitation of forest resources. In other words, the Amazon is hindered not only by the ignorance of the hardworking farmers who need it in order to make a living, but also by the rich and hypothetically "educated" men who don´t care about the ecosystem and focus only in getting more income. Not only that, but taxation policies in Brazil favour deforestation and gives the offenders even more ease in destroying the Amazon forest. Another aspect that deducts from the environmental state of the Amazon is logging. Logging is strictly linked to road building- logging roads give workers more ease in transportation and thus widens their horizons in deforestation methods. If you can get to the untouched parts of the forest easily, then you´ll be more likely to ruin it through deforestation. It´s a vicious circle- the more roads there are, the easier it is to clear forest areas and thus provide more space for more roads to be built. The vicious circle ends when the forest ends. And when that happens we´re doomed.
A symbol of the fight against deforestation is Chico Mendes. He had a limited education because he lived next to rubber tapping areas in order to make a living and thus was too far away from education facilities. He only managed to learn how to read and write when he was 20 as a consequence of the lack of schools in his area. But even before becoming alphabetized, Chico Mendes fought against the deflorestation with might and determination. He participated in various peaceful protests, such as the "empates" where people protected the trees which were to be cut with their bare bodies. He kept fighting until he was elected into a part of the Democratic Movement of his local area(Xapuri). This is the point where he starts recieving death threats, and he promptly ignores them in order to keep fighting for what he believes is right. He doesn´t have much support, though, as many of his political support organizations don´t really share his ideals and are not willing to embrace his cause. Even then, he fought against the deflorestation movements persistently. All of this wouldn´t go unpunished by those who earned their income through deflorestation, of course. This lead to the death of Chico Mendes; he got murdered December 22, 1988. He got shot in the chest in front of his wife and kids. He knew that he was to be shot before the men showed up in his house, but his pleads for help were ignored by the local authorities and media. His murderes got caught and consequently punished, but nothing will bring Chico Mendes back. He was an exemplary man, who stood up for what in his conseption was just- his struggle should remain in everyone´s mind as an example of a human being who can step up from the crowd and make his life be worth more than a simple face in the crowd.