By Leonardo Benassatto
BELEM, Brazil (Reuters) -"The Amazon brings people health," said Brazilian merchant Edison Rosa, holding out a handful of glistening, dark purple antioxidant-rich acai berries - touted worldwide as a superfood. "Without the forest, no one lives."
Belem, a port city in northern Brazil and gateway to the Amazon, is home to the bustling Ver-o-Peso market where merchants come to sell fish, herbs, nuts, berries and other fruit harvested from the world's largest rainforest.
In the same city, heads of state from eight nations that share the sprawling rainforest are meeting this week to discuss how to develop the Amazon region in a sustainable way.
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said he will push for a common protection policy for the first time, with the countries that share the rainforest collectively agreeing on actions to conserve and reforest the region.
Still, divisions are expected at the summit over new permits for oil drilling at the mouth of the Amazon River, and over the deforestation resulting from rapid agricultural expansion.
"This place is like a movie theater," said Beth Cheirosinha, a herb merchant whose stand overflows with colorful bottles of oils and tonics.
"People come from all over the world to see the postcard of Belem that is Ver-o-Peso," she added. "It is our roots."
Even at night the market is buzzing. Men haul a fish as big as a child off a fishing boat. Piles of oranges, bananas, fresh herbs and acai berries fill heaving crates on the edge of the bay.
"This is everything for me in my life, everything good," said Rosa. "I am very happy with my life."
Deforestation surged under the previous government of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who slashed environmental protections. For the first seven months of Lula's administration, satellite data suggests deforestation has fallen 43% from the same period of 2022.
The country's environment minister said on Monday the government would look at offering private-sector concessions for the planting of native trees and high-value woods, to help reforest the Amazon.
(Reporting by Leonardo Benassatto; Writing by Sarah Morland; Editing by David Gregorio and Rosalba O'Brien)
