Picture a community in the Brazilian Amazon that uses rainforest resources sustainably to survive, keeping the surrounding environment intact. Most likely, the picture will feature Indians, who seem to be the only humans in this vast rainforest region capable of combining viable livelihoods with environmental stewardship. In fact, though, indigenous groups aren’t the Amazon’s only green-friendly residents. The category also includes scores of communities established over a century ago by former Brazilian rubber tappers. These communities have attracted little attention, partly because of their low-key, unglamorous way of life and their remote locations. But recent research indicates they are just as skillful as neighboring indigenous groups at living in the rainforest without damaging the Amazon ecosystems. And as loggers and miners have moved... [Log in to read more]