OSLO, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Norway said Tuesday it will pay 70 million U.S. dollars to Brazil for reduced emissions from deforestation in the Amazon in 2017, in line with climate and forest cooperation between the two countries.

This year's payment from Norway to Brazil of 70 million U.S. dollars is remuneration for the reduction of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon achieved in the forest year 2017 (August 2016-July 2017), according to a statement from Norway's Ministry of Climate and Environment.

The funds are disbursed to Brazil's Amazon Fund, which supports projects that further reduce deforestation and improve the livelihoods of people living in the Amazon region.

"After two years of increasing deforestation, Brazil's efforts in 2017 were encouraging: Deforestation dropped by 12 percent compared to the year before," Norwegian Minister of Climate and Environment Ola Elvestuen was quoted as saying.

It was also 64 percent below the average of the decade prior to Brazil's initiation of large-scale forest reforms in 2004, Elvestuen said.

The Norwegian minister said Brazil has achieved very good results in the Amazon over the last decade. Over the period of collaboration, Brazil has saved the atmosphere from emissions of more than 4.5 billion tons of CO2.

However, while Brazil can demonstrate reduced deforestation in 2017, preliminary figures indicate that logging increased in the forest year 2018, according to the Norwegian statement.

In a recently published estimate, Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE) presented 2018 deforestation figures at 7,900 square kilometers, which corresponds to a 13.7 percent increase in deforestation from 2017 to 2018.

The figures are still preliminary, but the possible increase gives reasons to concern both in Brazil and in Norway, the statement said.