Brazil authorizes national security force to fight deforestation
Brazil on Monday authorized its national public security force to support efforts to fight deforestation in the Amazon, amid worries that 2020 could see another surge in destruction of the world's largest rainforest. Justice Minister Sergio Moro approved the security force, composed of police with special military-style training, to support operations carried out by environmental agency Ibama in Para state through the end of the year, according to the official government gazette. Para is Brazil's second-largest rainforest state and sits along the so-called arc of deforestation that encircles the Amazon and is rapidly penetrating deeper into the forest.