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The Brazilian government has announced its plan to protect the Amazon rainforest and to end deforestation, or forest clearance, by 2030.

The country's left-wing president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, said looking after the environment was his priority when he came into power.

The forest will be monitored for criminal activity, such as chopping down trees without permission and selling them on for profit.

Lula, as he is known to people in Brazil, also says he wants to protect indigenous territories by reducing illegal mining, hunting and fishing in those areas.

The Amazon is the largest rainforest in the world, and 60% of it is in Brazil.

It is home to thousands of different plant and animal species, some of which can only be found in that area. It is also home to various endangered species.

Due to the large number of trees growing there, it is often called "the lungs of the planet" on account of how the trees absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen.

However, the Amazon is under threat from deforestation and pollution, caused by human activity.

The fewer trees there are, the less carbon dioxide they can absorb. Deforestation also destroys animal and plant habitats, putting many species at risk.

When Lula was elected, he promised to make climate protection a priority, and said that he would end deforestation in the Amazon by 2030.

His plan involves lots of different actions, including introducing new laws and new conservation missions.

The plan also calls for increased monitoring of the rainforest, to try to crack down on criminal deforestation, and to work out who is using which areas of land.

This will be done by looking at how people are making money from selling Amazon wood, and through monitoring satellite images of the forest itself.

There is also a big plan to help recover damaged forests and encourage Amazon-based plants to grow and develop.