A civil society organization says greenhouse gas emissions in Brazil dropped last year mainly because of lower deforestation rates.

The Observatorio do Clima, or Climate Observatory, is comprised of more than 30 non-governmental groups.

It released a report Wednesday that said Brazil released 2.07 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases in 2017. That is 2.3 percent less than the 2.11 billion metric tons registered in 2016.

The report says the drop was due to a 12 percent reduction in Amazon deforestation as a result of increased inspections by Brazil’s environmental protection agency.