And it is the Brazilian government. Indeed, the Environment Ministry has released a list of the top 100 deforesters, and at the very top is the Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform, an arm of the government charged with overseeing land settlement (BBC, ABC).

Environment Minister Carlos Minc also released new evidence that deforestation rates continue to rise. The revelation that several years of progress in slowing deforestation had come to an abrupt halt sparked an uproar earlier this year, ultimately leading to the resignation of the previous Environment Minister Marina Silva.

Despite recent setbacks, the government is promising action, starting with a new initiative to halt deforestation by 2015. To help pay for all of this, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is requesting $21 billion from the international community. Earlier this month, Norway stepped up with $1 billion.

Halting deforestation seven years hence is tall order indeed, but Minc is certainly talking it up. This week he said the government would prosecute everybody on the top-100 list – presumably including government officials who are allegedly in cahoots with the loggers.