BRASILIA, Brazil, April 8 (UPI) -- Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon increased by 2 percent from 2002 to the following year, reaching near record losses, Brazilian news sources reported Thursday.
The Environmental Ministry said 14,757 square miles were deforested in 2003, compared to 14,456 square miles the previous year, Folha de Sao Paulo reported.
Brazil's current administration -- led by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva -- argues the numbers indicate losses during the previous administration.
The local branch of the international, environmental watch-dog group WWF called on Brazil to take action to protect the Amazon from further destruction.
"The Brazilian government needs to act immediately to hasten programs that can triple the area of rainforest under legal protection in the Amazon region," said Denise Hamu, chief executive officer of WWF-Brazil.
