Brazil set to cut forest protection

Nature: The sound of chainsaws in the Amazon rainforest has faded in recent years as deforestation has slowed, last year dropping to less than one-third of its long-term average. But last week, the lower house of Brazil's National Congress passed a bill that observers say could drastically reduce forest protection. An organized coalition of rural agricultural interests prevailed in vote after vote during debates, approving amendments that would, for example, scale back forest protections along rivers...

URL: http://www.nature.com/news/brazil-set-to-cut-forest-protection-1.10555