In Year of Forests 2013, 5891 km2 area in Brazil Amazon was deforested. This was 29 percent more than in forest year 2012, but still the second lowest deforestation measured in the Amazon since 1988.

Recently, Brazil announced deforestation figures for forest year 2014, indicating that deforestation has again gone down by 18 percent. These figures are preliminary. The final figures come in spring 2015, but the discrepancy has never been above 10 percent. It is therefore clear that the increase in deforestation in this year was not the beginning of a new trend.

- There is every reason to congratulate Brazil that deforestation is going down, and it seems now that the provision has stabilized at a low level. This is very positive. For the world’s climate, Brazil efforts is incredibly important, says Norway’s Climate and Environment Minister Tine Sundtoft.

Brazil is positioned to reach its goal of reducing deforestation by 80 percent by 2020. This is an important contribution to the fight against climate change and probably the biggest emissions cut any country delivered.

- Brazil’s results are a source of inspiration for other countries that want to reduce their deforestation, says Sundtoft.

She says that she is happy that the Norwegian money paid to the Amazon Fund is used for many good environmental projects in the Amazon, which also contributes to social and economic development.

- Amazon should not only be preserved as intact forest, Amazon will also be a good place to live, she says.