A logger drives his freshly cut mahogany logs upriver toward
Ivochote, a scratchy, low-slung jungle town in Peru’s eastern
Amazon. Hoping to convert his illegal revenues into some weekend
lovin’, he takes maca, a traditional Peruvian libido enhancer.
He heads to a nearby brothel, but its employees are too busy
protesting pollution caused by a foreign mining company to
entertain him. Frustrated and ready for action of any kind, he
gives up and joins an angry crowd marching to Lima to oppose the
2006 U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement, signed in April. Far-
fetched, maybe — but mahogany, maca, mining, and frustrated
movements are all part of this controversial agreement, which
lawmakers in Washington and Lima are preparing to ratify in
coming weeks. Photo: Whitehouse.gov/Eric Draper. What are the
environmental impacts of the Peruvian free-trade agreement?
Besides ramping up international trade and investment — which
can directly boost environmental damage — critics say the deal
peels away social and environment