Posted by Rachel
For all of you in New York and in the U.S. Northeast, be sure to check out the exhibit sponsored by the Sociedade da Língua Portuguesa da Organização das Nações Unidas (UNSRC), known in English as the UN Portuguese Language Society.
The UNSRC will host an exhibit featuring one hundred pieces by eight indigenous artists from the Amazon. The artists come from a variety of tribes, including the Tukano, Wanano and Kokoma tribes. Check out some of the pieces here.
The exhibition will take place from October 26 through November 6th at the UN, located at 2 United Nations Plaza in Manhattan.
Posted by Rachel
Today, we’re going to watch a video about the Amazon and an indigenous tribe there, and the work the tribe’s chief has done to combat deforestation and to use technology to connect his tribe to the world and to protect the environment. Part of the video is in Portuguese with English subtitles, and the other part involves simultaneous translation, so you’ll have to pay attention to make sure you understand.
Here are some questions to answer to see how well you understood!
1. How do you say “in the past,” according to the video?
2. The chief mentions using an “arco e flecha.” What is this in English?
3. What is “wisdom” in Portuguese?
4. How do you say “tool” or “instrument” in Portuguese?
5. What is “floresta” in English?
6. How do you say “alliance” or “partnership” in Portuguese?
Note: questions go up until 13:00.
Posted by Rachel
The government of Acre, a small state in the Amazon rainforest that borders Peru, has launched a new plan aimed to curb deforestation. The proposal, which will go into effect in 2010, will monetarily reward Acre’s workers (including loggers, fish ranchers and indigenous tribes) who avoid cutting down trees and/or who actively protect the rainforest. People who produce the most using the smallest amount of space, and those who make a profit without affecting the environment will also receive funds.
Acre’s government plans to invest R$478 million (US$265.5 million) over the next fifteen years to cut down on carbon dioxide emissions. The first area to be targeted will be near the state’s largest highway, which suffers from some of the highest levels of deforestation. The government hopes to get some of its funding from a REDD program (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries), which is a compensation program for countries or companies that help cut down on carbon emissions.
Currently, 602 square kilometers of forest are destroyed each year in Acre. The plan hopes to minimize that number and bring it down to 120 square kilometers per year by 2020. If the plan works, an area as large as 3,649 square kilometers of forest could be saved. The plan would also have social benefits, as workers would receive financial compensation for doing their part in conserving the Amazon.
Posted by Rachel
Brazil has been nominated for two locations in the Seven Wonders of Nature competition, in which people can vote for the greatest wonders of the natural world. The Amazon and Iguaçu Falls were chosen amongst thirty total natural wonders from around the world. They are competing against the Grand Canyon, the Great Barrier Reef, the Dead Sea, and Mount Kilimanjaro, amongst others.
The top thirty finalists were chosen by a panel of experts based on five factors: unique beauty, diversity and distribution, ecological significance, historical legacy, and geo-location (allowing an equal amount of finalists from the seven continents).
You can vote for your favorite seven wonders of nature on the official website, though the results won’t be announced until 2011. You can vote on the website or by phone, and the site will release the latest ranking of the most voted sites next week.
Posted by Rachel
Brazilian scientists have announced the discovery of a new subspecies of monkey, the Saguinus fuscicollis mura, discovered in the Amazon. Though it was originally spotted by scientists in 2007, the discovery was just published in the International Journal of Primatology last month. 
The very small subspecies, which usually weighs just 350 grams and stands 23 centimeters tall, was found along the BR-319, a defunct highway that connects Porto Velho, in Rondônia, with Manaus, in Amazônia. The monkey’s habitat is located between the Madeira River and Purus River, right near the abandoned road.
The subspecies is named after the Mura tribe of indigenous Brazilians who live in the area. It eats mostly insects and fruit, and can live in dense forest as well as open areas.
However, the Brazilian government plans to start reconstructing the nearby highway as a part of a nationwide development plan. Also, there are several industrial plants being constructed in the area. Scientists fear that the newly discovered monkey could be in danger of disappearing quickly, if its habitat is endangered by development.
