Although Brazilian law requires mining companies to replant the forest cover they destroy, many simply plant eucalyptus and turn the area into a pulp and paper producer when the ore runs out. Many birds and animals are returning to the replanted forest, although experts note a loss of about 5 percent of the original species.
Environmentalists say it's none too soon.
Scientists believe the annual deforestation is actually twice that. About 20 percent of the Amazon is already gone, and many scientists believe the destruction is accelerating global warming. Despite the loss, not everyone is willing to follow Rio do Norte's example. For a mining company where the profit is so great and the area devastated is relatively small, replanting is viable. Scientists believe that RIL techniques would allow a fixed area of the Amazon to be harvested indefinitely to provide the world's wood supply.