The Wider Image: Earthprints: Rio Pardo

Rio Pardo, next to Bom Futuro National Forest, during a tropical storm in the district of Porto Velho, Rondonia State, Brazil, August 30, 2015. The town of Rio Pardo, a settlement of about 4,000 people in the Amazon rainforest, rises where only jungle stood less than a quarter of a century ago. Loggers first cleared the forest followed by ranchers and farmers, then small merchants and prospectors. Brazil's government has stated a goal of eliminating illegal deforestation, but enforcing the law in remote corners like Rio Pardo is far from easy. REUTERS/Nacho Doce