00:00 Destruction across the Amazon rainforest has slowed dramatically this year, down 55.8% from the same period a year ago.
00:08 According to non-profit Amazon Conservation's MAAP Forest Monitoring Program,
00:13 the slowdown is a major turnaround for the region, vital to curbing climate change.
00:18 Across the nine Amazon countries, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia all show declining forest loss.
00:25 Ecologist and MAAP Director Matt Feiner says these data show there still is hope for the Amazon.
00:32 The Amazon, the world's largest rainforest, helps to curb global warming because its trees absorb huge amounts of carbon dioxide.
00:39 Analysts credit stronger environmental law enforcement in Brazil, home to the majority of the Amazon, under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
00:48 His predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, had advocated clearing rainforest land for mining, ranching, and other uses.
00:54 Experts say the success at reining in deforestation will give Amazon countries more leverage to push for conservation funding at COP28.
