BRASILIA (Reuters) -Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon has decreased 40% in the first three months of 2024 from a year earlier, Environment Minister Marina Silva said on Tuesday, citing data from space research agency INPE. Silva told reporters at an event in Brasilia that the data are "highly significant" because they follow a 50% drop in deforestation in 2023. Preliminary satellite data made available by INPE until March 28 showed 492 square kilometers (189.96 square miles) of the Amazon were cleared in the period, a 41.8% drop on a yearly basis.