If you do not have Google Earth loaded on your computer it is a simple process. Flash Earth requires Flash. Once loaded search for > Xapuri Acre < Use the Google Earth 'view' choice to adjust the size of the page so it floats over this. Flash Earth offers a daily NASA update. You will see Xapuri tucked within a meander of the Acre river, an Amazon tributary. Zoom to a wider view to reveal how the Amazonian landscape is changing.

CHICO MENDESThe story behind these pictures goes back to 1988 and even earlier. In December 1988 Chico Mendes was the President of the National Council of Rubber tappers [the CNS]. Most of the members were rubber gatherers collecting natural latex from rubber trees growing wild in the forest. On December 22nd 1988 Chico Mendes was assassinated for his opposition to the destruction of the rainforest and overnight he became a martyr.

Making rubber has a long history in Xapuri as some of the finest Hevea brasiliensis / rubber trees grow in this part of the Amazon basin. Loooking back to 1900 Xapuri was known as Boca do Xapuri - meaning the mouth of the river Xapuri that flows into the river Acre. The place was famous in the financial centres of London, England and New York, USA as a centre for rubber collection. The picture on the right shows large balls of natural latex laid on the bank of the Acre river in readiness for shipment by river boat to the main Amazon river and then to Europe or the United States. With Google Earth you can see the Xapuri river entering the Acre from the northwest

The rubber trade continues in Xapuri though much reduced and has been threatened constantly by the forest clearance. Chico Mendes' name lives on with a Foundation, various pro-floresta [pro forest] groups and as an iconic figure used at State Government level.

The house where Chico Mendes was shot in Xapuri, Acre, Brasil. The design of the house dates from the late 19th century	The Chico Mendes Foundation shop and office in Xapuri, Acre, Brasil
A rainy afternoon in Xapuri	Soap produced locally and scented with rainforest oils carries the slogan' Look after our Forest!'

But since Chico's death even more land has been cleared and some is now used for the production of sugar cane used for making ethanol - best known for its part in 'biofuel' for cars / automobiles and Soya is grown for biodiesel

In the 1980s the road to Rio Branco the capital of Acre State was being built through virgin rainforest. Now completed it is part of the Highway to the Pacific linking the Amazon basin and Pacific coast of Peru	The very tall Brazil-nut trees are left standing
The warmth of the open land raises immense cumulus clouds	Alcool/ Hydrated alcohol has been used for Brasilian cars/ automobiles for many years. Brasil is the world leader in this technology.

THE FUTURE ?

Acre State is far from the centre of Brasil and is prospering steadily from its natural resources. Along the way there is bound to be the problem of the balance between the needs of the growing population and the natural world around them. One great initiative has been to bring the people and the forest together in the belief that their future is tied to Amazon forest. The idea is said to be is based the concepts of Chico Mendes in which. the forest and the people will work together and become the 'povos da Floresta' - 'the the forest family'. The forest will produce many natural products such as latex for the world's first organic condoms.The rate of forest clearance will be reduced significantly over the coming years and new roads will provide good communications so products from land already cleared will have a higher value in Brasil and the outside world. Another part of the plan is to grow millions of rainforest tree seedlings like these mahogany Swietenia macrophylla and distribute them to landowners to help regenerate the forest. One problem is the slow growth rate of the mahogany and also its preference for a wide separation fof individuals in a forest. Other trees may fare better.
In Acre the emblem of the tree is used as a symbol of care for the environment and the name of Chico Mendes is everywhere. In the heart of Rio Branco the State capital and within a few steps of the Governor's Palace stands a bronze statue. Chico Mendes is leading a child through the unforgettable Amazon rainforest. We can only wonder what he could be saying.