Abigail Rome

Abigail Rome argues in the following viewpoint that ecotourism preserves biodiversity because it provides local people with a lucrative alternative to destructive uses of natural resources and makes sustainable development possible. In Brazil, she maintains, ecotourism protects fish stocks and fishermen’s livelihoods, preserves the remaining rain forest, and provides income for local people. Rome is a freelance writer and consultant in conservation and ecotourism based in Washington, D.C.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What threatens fish stocks in Brazil’s heartland, according to Rome?
2. According to the author, what program does ASPAC’s ecotourism fund?
3. In the author’s opinion, what is the animal that most attracts tourists to eastern Brazil"

Imagine a lone fisherman quietly and gracefully paddling his dugout canoe through the submerged grasses of...