Brazil's government said it will provide free internet access to native Indian tribes in the Amazon in an effort to help protect the world's biggest rain forest.

The environment and communications ministers signed an agreement Thursday with the Forest People's Network to provide an internet signal by satellite to 150 communities” including many reachable only by riverboat” allowing them to report illegal logging and ranching” request help and co-ordinate efforts to preserve the forest.

The goal is to “encourage those peoples to join the public powers in the environmental management of the country”” Francisco Costa of the Environment Ministry said in a statement. “The government intends to strengthen the Forest People's Network” a digital web for monitoring” protection and education.”

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