Brazil's environment ministry announced this month a 31-percent decline in the deforestation rate of the Amazon region. The total area deforested fell from 27,200 to 18,900 square km, comparing the August 2003-July 2004 and August 2004-July 2005 periods. According to the government it is the first time the rate has fallen since 1997.

“This was much hoped-for news for us. What we are worried about is that 18,900 square km is still a great deal, and it was a year when agricultural products performed badly on the international market,” Marcelo Marquezini, forestry engineer with the watchdog group Greenpeace, told Tierramérica.

“The government must continue its attack on forest-destroying activities,” he said.