Brazil seeks $1 billion in foreign aid to curb Amazon deforestation by 30-40% -environmental minister

FILE PHOTO: An aerial view shows a tree at the center of a deforested plot of the Amazon near Porto Velho, Rondonia State, Brazil August 14, 2020. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino/File Photo

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazil's environment minister wants $1 billion in foreign aid from countries including the United States to help reduce deforestation in the Amazon between 30% and 40%, according to an interview published on Saturday in newspaper O Estado de Sao Paulo.

"The plan is $1 billion over 12 months," the minister, Ricardo Salles, told the newspaper. "If those resources were available to be used in that way (to fight deforestation), we can commit to a reduction of between 30% and 40% in 12 months."