Brazil’s Amazon – Deforestation Drops for First Time in Three Years

The Amazon, the world’s largest tropical rainforest, soaks up vast amounts of carbon and is seen as vital to the fight against climate change
By Jake Spring
BRASILIA (Reuters) – Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon fell 16 percent in the year to July 2017 compared to the same period a year prior, the first decline in three years, the country’s environment minister said on Tuesday.
Reasons for the decline included stepped-up enforcement and refinements in real-time monitoring