Amazon rainforest still in 'big loss', expert says

STORY: Satellite data from Brazilian space research agency INPE indicated that 500 square km (193 square miles) of rainforest were cleared in the month, a 66% drop from the same period a year ago.

The fresh figures come as Lula gathers next week with leaders of Amazonian countries for a summit in northern Brazil to discuss ways to protect the world's largest rainforest.

The director of the environmental civil association, Observatorio Do Clima, Marcio Astrini praised the reduction in deforestation in the early months of the Lula administration but said Brazil is "still in a very big loss" with much to recover.