Germany said Saturday it would suspend Brazilian aid aimed at helping protect the
Amazon forest in light of data that showed deforestation had surged since President Jair Bolsonaro took office.
"Brazilian government policies in the Amazon raise doubts about continued, sustained declines in the rate of deforestation," Environment Minister Svenja Schulze told the television news show Tagesspiegel.
It said a first step would be to block payment of 35 million euros ($40 million) for forest conservation and biodiversity programmes until the rate of decline attained encouraging levels once again.