Mourao said forest fires in the Amazon region had dropped significantly, by about 40% this year, and that the Brazilian government will reaffirm its commitment to international environmental goals at the United Nations climate change conference in Glasgow that runs from Oct. 31 to Nov. 12.
The most recent satellite data on Amazon deforestation from national space agency INPE shows it rose slightly, by 2%, in September from a year ago.
Far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who has been criticized by environmental activists and some world leaders for the rise in deforestation during his presidency, pledged in April during a White House Earth Day summit to end illegal logging by 2030.
The Amazon is the world's largest tropical rainforest and is considered a major bulwark against climate change.
Bolsonaro is in favor of allowing commercial mining and agriculture on indigenous reservations, which have the most preserved forests in the Amazon.
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