By Rhett A. Butler Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon dropped by 30.6% over the past year, reaching the lowest level of destruction in nine years, according to data from the country’s national space research institute,

According to official monitoring, Amazon rainforest loss in Brazil dropped by one-third compared to the previous year, according to official monitoring.

Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon fell 30.6% in the 12 months through July compared to the same period a year prior, according to government data released on Wednesday -- the smallest area destroyed in the world's largest rainforest in nine years.

Brazil’s environment minister, a renowned former activist, helped push climate change to the top of President Lula’s agenda. Her next task is to do the same thing for the world.

The Brazilian Amazon experienced its smallest amount of yearly deforestation in nearly a decade, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government reported Wednesday, in line with its promise to combat forest loss.