Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro has said he will create an "Amazon council" to protect and ensure the "sustainable development" of the world's largest rainforest.
The announcement from the right-wing President follows intense criticism of his environmental policies.
The council will be led by Brazil's vice president, General Hamilton Mourao, Mr Bolsonaro said on Twitter.
He said it will coordinate "diverse actions within each ministry focused on the protection, defence and sustainable development of the Amazon."
Mr Bolsonaro has said previously that his Government is protecting the rainforest, but he wants economic development in the Amazon to improve the lives of its 30 million inhabitants, including its indigenous tribes.
Environmentalists fear that the economic development Mr Bolsonaro envisions will hasten deforestation.
Under Mr Bolsonaro, the number of fires in the Amazon reached a 10-year high last year, prompting world leaders to denounce his environmental record.
