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 rain forest 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 …ver más…

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. He wanted 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 about business 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.