Illegal and unregulated economies are helping drive a spike in deforestation of the Amazon. Is an economic model possible that keeps the forest standing and provides sustainable opportunities for locals? That’s the question AQ poses in its latest special report, and it’s the topic of this new conversation between Editor-in-chief Brian Winter, Managing Editor Cecilia Tornaghi, and special guest Denis Minev, a CEO and investor from Manaus, Brazil.Guests:- Denis Minev is the CEO of Bemol and an angel investor in sustainable Amazon projects.-Cecilia Tornaghi is the managing editor of Americas Quarterly.- Brian Winter is the editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly.Supplemental Reading:"The Case for Sustainable Development in the Amazon" a special report.(https://www.americasquarterly.org/article/new-aq-the-case-for-sustainable-development-in-the-amazon/)"The Amazon’s Big Cities Need Green Jobs Too. It’s a Challenge" by Monica Prestes.(https://americasquarterly.org/article/the-amazons-big-cities-need-green-jobs-too-its-a-challenge/)