Brazil starts to protect great portion of Amazon

This week, I read a news article about Amazon forest. On Monday, December 4th, the Brazilian government announced that two areas of the Amazon foreast will be placed under government protection. The Conservation International will put up $1 million to expand the preserves to the north, where much of the land is untouched. The Amazon forest in Brazil is known as the home for many bird and animal spieces and contains more than 25% of the world's remaining humid tropical forests. However, already about 20% of the forest has been destryoed by cutting trees and farming. By placing the forest under the government, endangered animal spieces can be protected and prevent deforestation. Also, to my suprise, in these areas threre have been serious conflicts between forest defenders and ranchers. Unfortunately, some of the protesters were shot and killed in the lawless jungle. So the new protected areas will help break the power of ranchers who often own plots of land.