BRASILIA - Deforestation in the Amazon rain forest has dropped by at least 25 percent in the year ending July thanks to police cracking down on illegal logging in the area, the Brazilian government has announced.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva had announced a slew of initiatives to tackle illegal logging in the rainforests that are called as the "lungs of the world." The Brazilian environment announced on its web site that some 14,039 square kilometers (5,423 square miles) of the rainforest was cut in the 12 months from August 2005 to July 1006.
Deforestation in the last year dropped from the record levels in 2004 when at 27,429 sq kms of the forest were cut down, Environment Minister Marina Silva said. He added that the current levels of deforestation were near the levels seen in the late 1970s.
"Brazil is perhaps one of the few countries in the world to have the opportunity to implement a consistent plan that at the same time as protecting and preserving the rich biodiversity of Amazonia, also reduces rapidly its contributions to global warming," said a statement released by Cabinet Chief Dilma Rousseff.
Saving rainforests is an important part of fighting global warming as these forests can trap vast amounts of carbon dioxide, which is the chief greenhouse gas responsible for global warming.
