In 1988, the murder of Chico Mendes fueled a movement of activists, celebrities and indigenous peoples that helped to make the rainforest a household name. But what happens now?
Violence in the Amazon: Why Protecting the Rainforest is Still a Fight
Producer: Geoffrey O'Connor
Editor: Anne Checler
In the 1980s, the murder of Brazilian environmentalist Chico Mendes fueled an international movement to “Save The Rainforest” from unchecked development. The cause soon drew a host of celebrities – like Sting, eventually slowed deforestation, and even helped in getting ancestral lands recognized for indigenous people. The cause is still alive today as economic and political troubles shake Brazil, but its continued existence may well rely on some unlikely allies.
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