How is poverty contributing to deforestation?

Governments of Latin America need money to support the high numbers of impoverished people in their countries, so they cut down the rainforest in order to make money off the timber exports and use that money to support their people.

Global corporations lure impoverished workers to the rainforest in order to utilize their labor to cut down the rainforest. Native peoples don't want to participate in the destruction of their rainforest, but often have little choice as they desperately need the wages these corporations provide in order to support their families.

Governments of Latin America need money to support the high numbers of impoverished people in their countries, so they cut down the rainforest in order to use the trees to make paper on which they can print more money. They use this newly printed money to support their people.

People living in poverty in Latin America cannot afford to buy land in traditional agricultural areas so they cut down the forest to create farmland and grazing land for cattle. Since the soil is actually poor, they must cut down more and more every year to maintain production.