£2-a-day cash boosts Amazon protection
Giving £2 a day to people in the Amazon helps protect rainforest, pilot project finds
Wednesday, 21 October 2026
Photo by Stephanie Morcinek on Unsplash
Warm-up
- What would you do with an extra £2 a day?
- How can money change how people use land or resources?
- What schemes to protect forests do you know?
Vocabulary
- pilot
- a small test project to try an idea before using it widely
- unconditional
- given without rules or requirements attached
- transfer
- an amount of money moved from a payer to a person or account
- reforestation
- planting trees again in an area that lost its forest
- migration
- movement of people from one place to another to live or work
- stewardship
- care and responsible management of something valuable
- biodiversity
- the variety of plant and animal life in an area
- deforestation
- the cutting down or loss of forests
Reading
Listen to this story
British EnglishA study by the University of Bath says a two-year pilot in Peru's Amazon helped protect forests. Run by UK charity Cool Earth, it gave an unconditional basic income to 211 people in three Asháninka communities. Each participant received six cash transfers of 1,032 soles, roughly equal to £2 a day, and could spend the money as they wished.
Researchers said almost 90% adopted greener practices: collective reforestation, restoring water sources, and less forest burning. Food insecurity fell, with households unable to afford nutritious food dropping from 73% to 26%. Migration also declined: the share forced to leave home for work fell from 43% to 18%. A voluntary "cash plus" strand added community-led education on finance, conservation and climate change.
Designed with local women's groups, the project is described as the first unconditional basic income for an Indigenous Amazon community. It highlights Indigenous stewardship of biomes that store carbon and shelter biodiversity. Other academics warn that cash transfers can drive deforestation if they fund farm expansion or vehicles. The authors say wider research is needed.
Comprehension
- Who managed the pilot and which university analysed it?
- How many people took part, and where were the communities?
- How much did each participant receive and how often?
- What practices did participants adopt to help the environment?
- What cautions do other academics raise about cash transfers?
Grammar focus
Mixed conditionals
We use mixed conditionals to connect different times. If + had + past participle → present result: would + base (use “now”). If + past simple → past result: would have + past participle (use “last year/earlier”). (Examples constructed.)
- If the pilot had failed, communities would struggle now.
- If cash were misused, some forests would have suffered earlier.
Grammar exercise
Complete each sentence using "would".
- If the transfers had stopped, families (face) ___ hunger now.
- If cash were limited, many (leave) ___ earlier.
- If farms had expanded, rivers (be) ___ at risk now.
- If training were absent, many (adopt) ___ fewer steps last year.
- If payments had been lower, households (afford) ___ less now.
Discussion
- Should conservation payments be unconditional or have conditions? Why?
- Is £2 a day enough to change behaviour where you live? Explain.
- What risks must programmes manage to avoid more deforestation?
- Who should fund such schemes: governments, charities or companies?
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