Brazil's president announces plan to protect forest – after plea from Gisele
by Jonathan Watts in Rio de Janeiro from Environment | The Guardian on (#2TFFE)
Michel Temer replies to message from Brazilian supermodel to announce he will veto plans to cut conservation in the Amazon
The Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bi1/4ndchen appears to have succeeded where conservationists and scientists have failed: by persuading the president, Michel Temer, to veto legislation that would have slashed protected reserves in the Amazon.
In a Twitter post last week, Bi1/4ndchen urged Temer to block a bill that would have opened up 600,000 hectares (1.5m acres) of forest to development. The model - who has long been a supporter of WWF - tweeted: "It's our job to protect our Mother Earth."