RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signed here on Friday a decree to fight deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.

    The document restricts sales of products and derivatives of animal or vegetable sources from the Amazon region, defines actions to protect areas endangered by deforestation and monitors the rationalization of land use.

    The decree also establishes penalties for those who purchase or transport any product from environmentally-protected areas.

    Meanwhile, the Ministry of Environment announced a regular update to the list of municipalities where deforestation is detected. The federal government said it will give priority to programs, projects and economic incentives to help make forest and agricultural production sustainable in those places.

    By official count, deforestation in the Amazon rainforest fell to 21,200 square km in the 2006-2007 period, down 59 percent from the 2003-2004 period.