The Brazilian government is considering banning logging it the country's forests for a period of six months to one year to save the Amazon rainforests. This was announced by Brazil's environment minister Marina Silva on July 15, 2005. "What is being discussed in the government is what we call a 'braking system'," the official news agency Radiobras quoted the minister as saying.
But the ban will include some exceptions, like areas where logging is undertaken in a sustainable manner by using certified forestry management practices. Also, small-scale farmers will be allowed to cut down up to three hectares of forests for planting. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's office was viewing the proposal when reports last came in. The Amazon rainforests faced six per cent more destruction in 2004 than the previous year.