Illegal logging within the protected Gurupi Biological Reserve in Maranhão state. In an area almost completely deforested, this reserve is one of the most biodiverse areas in the region, but also one of the most threatened. The 341,000 hectare Gurupi reserve, roughly three times the size of Los Angeles, was established in 1988 around the same time that the pig iron companies began production. A recent study estimates that 70-80% of the area has been altered by timber extraction.