Amazon nations fall short of agreed goal to end deforestation
The eight countries that share the Amazon basin have fallen short of an agreed goal to end deforestation.
Delegates from the countries are meeting in the Brazilian city of Belém for a two-day summit on the issue, the first such gathering in 14 years.
A joint declaration on Tuesday created an alliance to combat deforestation, but left each country to pursue its own conservation goals.
Preserving the Amazon is a central part of efforts to tackle climate change.
Ahead of the summit, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had called for a common goal of ending deforestation by 2030, a policy his own government has already adopted.
Around 60% of the Amazon, the largest rainforest in the world, lies in Brazil. The other countries represented at the gathering are Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela.
In his opening speech on Tuesday, Lula spoke of the "severe worsening of the climate crisis" and said "the challenges of our era, and the opportunities arising from them, demand we act in unison".
"It has never been so urgent," he said.
Deforestation in Brazil has fallen dramatically since Lula won the presidency from predecessor Jair Bolsonaro, who favoured development over conservation, but thousands of sq km continue to be lost each year.
The joint statement, named the Belém declaration, said the new alliance would aim to "prevent the Amazon from reaching a point of no return".
It also included commitments to enhance co-operation on issues like water management, health, sustainable development and common negotiating positions at global climate summits.
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