According to INPE - National Institute ofSpatial Research, the areas affected by some kind of degradation in theBrazilian Amazon, has been falling in recent years:2011 24.650 km2 (9.628 sq miles)2012 8.634 km2 (3.373 sq miles)2013 5.434 km2 (2.123 sq miles)A very good news !!!Other one very positive information is the onethat realizes a reduction of 18% in the annual rate of deforestation in thelast two years:Ago/12 a Jul/13 5.891 km2 (2.301 sq miles)Ago/13 a Jul/14 4.848 km2 (1.894 sq miles)Apparently, the Brazilian government has beenable to exercise good management to control this problem, with positive figureseach year.However, short-term data has turned on the redlights in the control system. The monthly deforestation alert records soared inrecent months:Nov/14 77 km2 (30 sq miles)Dec/14 85 km2 (33 sq miles)Jan/15 129 km2 (50 sq miles)Surprisingly, whit an unusual agility to theBrazilian government, last Wednesday (11th of March) was formalizedan agreement between the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Justice and theBNDES - National Bank for Economic and Social Development. This agreementformalizes the creation and the equipment of the Environmental Operation Force,which will use the effective of the National Security Force for actions tocontrol and combat the illegal deforestation of the Amazon rainforest.The agreement provides US$11 million for theinvestment to ensure the mobilization of a group of 200 men of the NationalSecurity Force in strategic points of the Amazon rainforest. Officials of theNational Force will make surveillance operations and control of illegal loggingin the region, in a systematic way.The Minister of Environment says that thisaction is part of the 3rd phase of the Action Plan for the Prevention andControl of Deforestation in the Amazon, which started in 2004 and, currently,involves 14 ministries, coordinated by the Environment Ministry.It seems that this Action Plan has been working!!!For its part, the NGO WWF Brazil, drawsattention to the fact that, despite the significant reduction of deforestation,Brazil still ranks at the top of the deforestation ranking in the world and theyare concerned about the information in deforestation rates increasing in recentmonths.Also according to the WWF, deforestation in theAmazon had two important peaks, in 1995 and 2004, and somewhere around 400.000 km2(156.250 sq miles) were deforest since 1988. It is a large Brazilian issue,since the lost represents, at least, 19% of the Amazon.Another NGO, the FSC Brazil, appears to bequite concerned about the illegal trade in wood still existing in the country.According to the FSC, the illegality is still a reality in Brazil and theconversion rate of native forests proves it is still present. The northernregion is where this situation is more alarming, especially because this is theplace where still are greater extension of native forest remaining in thecountry. In other Brazilian regions, there is a greater concentration ofplanted forests, which facilitates the monitoring and certification thereof.The FSC Brazil warns that there is a strongeconomic pressure against those who adopt good practices in forestry, becausethey compete against prices of illegal timber, which is not charged with everycosts and taxes.The WWF recognizes the efforts of Brazil in thelast 10 years to stop deforestation in the Amazon, through public policies,mechanisms and tropical forest protection systems,