A lawbreaker wielding a chainsaw in a state forest in Brazil’s Amazonian state of Acre would not like to look up and see Corporal José Carlos Alves Das Chagas. The imposing stance, the immaculate uniform and the semiautomatic pistol in its shiny black holster send a clear message: This man means business.

Chagas heads the six-person squadron of military police charged with enforcing the law in a cluster of state forests around a new highway. It’s a big job, first of all because it’s a big area. In addition to the state forests themselves, Chagas is also responsible for monitoring the surrounding private lands where owners are required by law to leave 80 percent of their holdings in a natural state.

This is also a region of rapid change. The principal agent of change is the project to pave highway BR-364. Ordinarily, a new road will open the floodgates to settlers and speculators, who will set off the familiar cycle of deforestation and degradation. But hopes are that the creation of the state forests—and Chagas’s squadron of law enforcers—will prevent this from happening.

In fact, Chagas said that the road will actually help him carry out his job by enabling the guards to respond more quickly. But he was quick to point out that he and his men are not merely highway patrolmen. Do he and his men enter the forest to pursue lawbreakers? “Positive,” he replied, using the military jargon. “If we have to, we spend the night in the forest. We are on duty 24 hours a day.” In contrast, in many other protected areas in Latin America, guards often are effectively grounded due to lack of vehicles and other equipment, or demoralized by lack of support from their superiors.

Chagas cannot recall any serious incidents in the five years he has been on patrol here, and he wants to keep it that way. If he learns that someone has illegally entered the forest to clear land to plant crops, his men and officials from the Acre Environment Institute first double check that a violation has occurred. Then they meet with the settler, and they talk. Oftentimes the infraction results in a fine, but the important thing is that the matter is settled peacefully. “Up to now, everything has gone smoothly,” he said.

Large landowners can also expect a visit from Chagas if they commit a violation. “They respect us because they know that the government is present in this area.”

Chagas has been enforcing the law in Acre for 22 years. “I am an Acreano, with the greatest love and dedication for my profession, thanks to God,” he said. “I’m doing this job because I want to.” He also believes in the forest. “We depend on the forest for clean air, for water,” he said. “If we destroy the forest, we destroy everything.”