VOA慢速英语2021--记者致力于保护濒危雨林

Reporters Work to Protect Endangered Rainforests

Brazil's Rondonia state is home to rainforests and at least three different native groups. The area has also faced serious problems like deforestation.

So when Brazilian reporter Gustavo Faleiros learned of an illegal attempt to take land away from a huge protected area in the state, he used his reporting skills to bring attention to it.

The Uru-eu-wau-wau Indigenous¹ Reserve in Rondonia is spread over 18,000 square kilometers. It holds land used by many of Brazil's native or indigenous people.

"When I did the stories about the invasion of indigenous land, I felt it was really contributing to bring attention to that specific place," Faleiros said.

A grant from the Pulitzer Center's Rainforest Journalism² Fund (RJF) permitted Faleiros to travel to Rondonia and report. The Pulitzer Center is an organization that gives financial support to journalists around the world. Faleiros' work was included in an RJF investigation³ into threats to the environment and indigenous communities in Latin America.

Faleiros now runs the Pulitzer's Rainforest Investigations⁴ Network. Reporters from several countries in the network work together to investigate issues like climate change and corruption⁵.

The Pulitzer Center started RJF in 2018 to aid reporting on the Amazon Basin, the Congo Basin and Southeast Asia. The center plans to produce 200 environmental journalism stories through the RJF by 2023.

Nora Moraga-Lewy is the manager of the RJF. She said her group gives journalists the chance to report on stories that would not be written without its help. In addition to financial support, reporters are given training and access to a network of other journalists.

"At the Pulitzer Center we view journalism as a tool for empowering the public to engage in global issues and understand where their community fits in," Moraga-Lewy said.

Maraga-Lewy said the center's work brings attention to the threats facing rainforests and the forces that influence them over short and long periods of time. She added that the reporting seeks to find answers to problems that should have "more attention or support."

Strengthening local journalism is also an important part of RJF's work. The center does its best to find local reporters.

"Local journalism can help spread important information, share knowledge and build connections within communities" that help bring change, she said.

However, there are real difficulties with environmental reporting, Faleiros said. For example, it can be hard to get community members to talk. Falieros said people directly hurt by illegal forestry⁶ and mining are the most at risk from speaking to reporters.

"These are the guys who know a lot about the local context⁷ and can point out who is behind" the environmental problems, Faleiros said. Although it is very important to speak to local community members, if anyone is identified as a source, they can face serious actions. Talking with locals requires being honest with people and understanding why someone might not want to talk.

Reporting on rainforest destruction often means looking into corruption, organized crime, violence and human rights violations⁸. When there is a risk of danger, Faleiros said the Pulitzer Center helps with security.

He has not been directly threatened himself, but he knows there are dangers. "Many of these rainforest countries are the ones with the biggest levels of violence, both for activists⁹ and journalists," he said.

Faleiros believes his reporting has brought good results for local communities. While not every project will lead to policy reforms, Faleiros believes RJF's work tells important stories about communities that are suffering.

Moraga-Lewy said RJF stories have gotten the attention of government officials. She said in all three areas were the group works, officials have taken some kind of action "where there had previously¹⁰ been inaction or silence."

Words in This Story

contribute-v. to give (something, such as money, goods, or time) to help a person, group, cause, or organization

grant-n. an amount of money that is given to someone by a government, a company, etc., to be used for a particular purpose (such as scientific research)

journalist-n. the activity or job of collecting, writing, and editing¹¹ news stories for newspapers, magazines, television, or radio

access-n. a way of getting near, at, or to something or someone

reserve –n. an area of land where people, animals or plants are given special protection

empower -v. to give power to (someone)

engage- v. to get and keep (someone's attention, interest, etc.)

context–n. the situation in which something happens : the group of conditions that exist where and when something happens

source-n. someone or something that provides what is wanted or needed

1 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

2 journalism   

n.新闻工作，报业

参考例句：

• He's a teacher but he does some journalism on the side.他是教师，可还兼职做一些新闻工作。
• He had an aptitude for journalism.他有从事新闻工作的才能。

3 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

4 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

5 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

6 forestry   

n.森林学；林业

参考例句：

• At present, the Chinese forestry is being at a significant transforming period. 当前, 我国的林业正处于一个重大的转折时期。
• Anhua is one of the key forestry counties in Hunan province. 安化县是湖南省重点林区县之一。

7 context   

n.背景，环境，上下文，语境

参考例句：

• You can always tell the meaning of a word from its context.你常可以从上下文中猜出词义来。
• This sentence does not seem to connect with the context.这个句子似乎与上下文脱节。

8 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

9 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

11 editing   

adj.编辑的

参考例句：

• The processing of data in random order,not subject to preliminary editing or sorting.未经预先编辑或分类，以任意次序对数据进行的处理的做法。