Amazon deforestation declines

The world's largest tropical rainforest, the Amazon, houses the world's largest collection of living species of plants and animals.

It also plays a significant role in stabilizing local climate. Years of deforestation have transformed the region.

The Amazon is home to 2 and a half million insect species, tens of thousands of plants, and some 2-thousand birds and mammals.

But illegal logging put them all at risk.

It took years for the world to take action. Things are slowly starting to improve.

Figures released by the Brazilian Environment Ministry show that from January to September this year, the deforestation rate dropped by 54 percent from a year ago.

Carlos Minc, Brazilian Enviroment Minister, said, "It is a considerable decline, thanks to our consistent hard work of monitoring the area."

The Amazon provides a fifth of the world's oxygen. When trees are felled or burned, they emit carbon dioxide. About 17 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions stem from deforestation.

Brazil has pledged to cut deforestation rates by 80 percent by 2020.

Carlos Minc, Brazilian Enviroment Minister, said, "It is a commitment the country is making with the UN. We must stand up to it."

Brazil has been seeking a growing role in climate talks. The crackdown on illegal logging has to go on if the Amazon and the rest of the world are to breathe easier.