Making love might not seem like the most obvious way to save the world’s largest tropical rainforest — and combat the threat of AIDS.
But according to the Brazilian government, which last week opened a US$20 million (NT$606 million) condom factory deep in the Amazon jungle, it could be an effective weapon in the battle to silence the chainsaws of Amazonia.
Last Monday government ministers gathered in the town of Xapuri to open a condom factory that will use latex manually extracted from the area’s forests to make around 100 million condoms a year.
PHOTO: AP
The factory would allow local rubber tappers to profit from the rainforest without destroying it, officials said.
As well as protecting the rainforest, government officials hope the factory will help to reduce Brazil’s dependence on condoms imported from Asia. Last year Brazil distributed around 120 million free condoms as part of a massive anti-AIDS drive that has helped to slash infection rates in South America’s largest country.
In a statement the health ministry said more than 500 local families would also benefit from what has been dubbed the “made in Amazonia” condom.
Hugo Paz de Souza, 43, a rubber tapper, said the factory would allow him to double his income to around US$400 (NT$12,000) a month.
“Because of this I’ve managed to buy a few cows and give my family a better life,” he said. Raimundo Barros, vice president of the local agricultural association, said: “This product will allow people to make love with security and to better plan their futures.”
Xapuri became infamous in 1988 when cattle ranchers assassinated environmental activist Chico Mendes.(THE GUARDIAN)
做愛也能拯救世界最大熱帶雨林—及對抗愛滋威脅的最佳方式。
但是巴西政府表示，他們斥資兩千萬美元（新台幣六億零六百萬元）在亞馬遜叢林深處設立的保險套製造廠上週開幕，此舉可能有效遏止雨林的砍伐。
上週一政府部會首長齊聚夏布里市中心，參加保險套製造廠的開幕式，該工廠將利用人工採集該區雨林生產的橡膠原料，每年大約能製造一億個保險套。
官方表示，這個工廠能在不傷害雨林的情況下，讓當地採集橡膠的居民受益。
除了保護雨林，巴西政府也期望該工廠能減少巴西自亞洲國家進口保險套的需求；去年，巴西政府大規模反愛滋病的行動之一，就是發送近一億兩千萬個免費的保險套，這項行動大幅減低了這個南美洲最大國的愛滋傳染率。
巴西衛生署在一份聲明稿中表示，當地有超過五百戶家庭將受惠於這些標示「亞馬遜地區製造」的保險套。
四十三歲的橡膠採集者雨果．帕茲．德．蘇薩說，該工廠能讓他一個月的收入倍增至四百美元（新台幣一萬兩千元）左右。
他說：「我能夠因此買下幾頭母牛，讓我的家人過更好的生活。」當地農會副會長瑞穆多．巴羅斯說：「這項產品不但能使民眾安全無虞地做愛，還能對未來作更詳盡規劃。」
夏布里因一九八八年的牧場工人暗殺環保人士齊哥．滿德斯事件而惡名遠播。
（衛報�翻譯：袁星塵）
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